Amidst reports that Poland’s state historical institute is reopening his file owing to the peculiar circumstances of his death, the revival of one of Poland's most distinctive post-war artists is being crowned today by a major exhibition at his almer mater, the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts.

Jerzy 'Jurry' Zielinski (1943-1980) was the only Polish painter to take up the Pop Art style. He used it to make frequent critiques of the communist system.

Largely forgotten after his untimely death (he seemingly fell from the window of his fourth floor flat) Jurry made an explosive return to the art world last autumn, courtesy of Cracovian art guru Marta Tarabula.

Tarabula, herself a noted veteran of Poland's counter-culture movement, assembled a wide-ranging show in Krakow last October, jointly held at the National Museum and her own private gallery, Zderzak (The Bumper).

Cited as one of the art events of the year, the exhibition is now moving to Warsaw's Academy of Fine Arts, where Jurry graduated in 1968, a tumultuous year of protest that largely defined his career.

Friends and family voice differing opinions on whether the dissident's death was more than an accident. The majority of Jurry's inner circle claim that there was no foul play, citing the painter's battles with alcoholism.
His paintings endure.

'The Return of Jurry' runs until April 15. (nh)