From November 20th, 2020, the Municipal Gallery bwa in Bydgoszcz will present an exhibition entitled “Włocławki. Ceramic products of the Włocławek Faïence Factory, 1952-1991.”
The Włocławek faïence products presented at the exhibition come from the collection of the Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land in Włocławek. The exhibition aims to illustrate the activity of the Włocławek factory in the post-war period – from the 1950s until the factory’s closure in 1991 – and to show the variety of produced forms and faïence decorations in different stages of the factory’s activity.
The dynamic development of ceramic production in the Włocławek Faïence Factory took place after 1952 when the Calibration Centre No. 2 was established. At that time, the production of modern faïence began, and the factory attracted the attention of Polish ceramic artists.
The second important event that brought fame and popularity to the Włocławek faïence – not only in Poland but also abroad – was the Włocławek Faïence Biennale. The competitions organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture by the Włocławek Museum showed the great talent of the female painters employed in the factory. The first Włocławek Faïence Biennale was organised to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Faïence Factory in Włocławek – in 1973.
The creation of faïence patterns – so well known and common in every house during the People’s Republic of Poland era – is connected with people: designers and female painters of Włocławek faïence. An important aspect of the presentation of popular “Włocławki” is showing ceramists and decorators who often worked all their lives in the faïence factory. The exhibition will present the richness of forms and variety of decorations – from the faïence era called “Picasso,” to all the stages of the flowery faïence, to the moment the factory was closed in 1991. The exhibition will be open till January 31st, 2021.
Karolina Bandziak-Kwiatkowska

curator and author of the exhibition scenario: Karolina Bandziak-Kwiatkowska (Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land)
coordination and arrangement of the exhibition: Danuta Pałys (Municipal Gallery bwa in Bydgoszcz)
exhibition organised in cooperation with the Museum of the Kujawy and Dobrzyń Land in Włocławek

20.11.2020 – 31.01.2021
20 Gdańska St.