Jerzy Nowosielski at his studio in Krakow in 1987. Photo: Wlodzimierz Wasyluk/culture.pl

Jerzy Nowosielski, one of Poland’s most famous artists, has died in Krakow, his native town, after a long illness at the age of 88.

Nowosielski gained particular renown for his religious works – wall paintings, iconostases and polychromes in the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in many Polish towns, as well as the Greco-Catholic Church in Lourdes, France.

In addition to Polish museums, his portraits, landscapes, still lifes and abstract works are in many private collections in the United States, Canada and many European countries.
Nowosielski represented Poland at the prestigious art biennales in Venice in 1956 and Sao Paulo in 1959, as well as having around one hundred solo shows around the world.

The artist held an honorary doctor’s degree from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow and several other distinctions, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.  He was also the author of theoretical works about the art of the icon.

Art critic Agnieszka Morawinska, the director of the National Museum in Warsaw, has described Nowosielski as the classic of modern art. “He has forged his absolutely unique, individual style, winning great acclaim among both the public and art collectors,” she commented following his death.

Andrzej Starmach, one of Poland’s most prolific art collectors and art historians, told the PAP news agency that “he was a great person,” adding that “if anyone needed help, ‘Nowosiel’ would always give them a picture and said ‘try and sell it for yourself’.” (mk/jb)