About us

The Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Foundation was established in 2023.

One of the Foundation’s most important aims is to promote and deepen knowledge of the life and work of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski. We organise and support exhibitions, meetings, conferences and other cultural events; we promote the painter’s work and places linked to the history of his family, as well as to the history and culture of the Suwałki region.

An important part of our work involves research into the life and artistic legacy of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski. In collaboration with specialists, cultural institutions and the academic community, we also conduct interdisciplinary research into his work.

Our tasks also include collaborating with museums, universities and other institutions responsible for cultural heritage, contributing to the preparation of publications devoted to the Wierusz-Kowalski family, collecting family memorabilia and maintaining contact with members of the family.

THE FOUNDATION’S ACTIVITIES SINCE 2023

Since its establishment in 2023, the Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Foundation has been undertaking activities aimed at preserving, researching and promoting the legacy of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski and other members of the family. The Foundation’s activities include research and exhibition projects, publishing, educational and community initiatives, collaboration with museums and researchers, and the documentation of the history of the Wierusz-Kowalski family.

EXHIBITIONS AND CULTURAL EVENTS

The Foundation organises and co-organises exhibitions, meetings, lectures and events dedicated to Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski and other artists associated with the family.

Among its most significant activities were:

24 September 2023 – an academic symposium dedicated to Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski,
17 May 2024 – the opening of an open-air exhibition showcasing the life and work of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski in Maria Konopnicka Square in Suwałki,
25 September 2024 – a panel discussion entitled ‘The Artist and the World’,
9 October 2025 – the start of an exhibition of works by Joanna and Czesław Wierusz-Kowalski in Mariampol, Lithuania,
13 November 2025 – presentation of the project ‘Time Returned: In the Footsteps of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’ at the Regional Museum in Suwałki,
30 July 2026 – opening of the exhibition *Time Returned: In the Footsteps of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski* in Warsaw,
9 September 2026 – a meeting dedicated to the paintings of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski.

RESEARCH INTO THE WORK OF ALFRED WIERUSZ-KOWALSKI

One of the Foundation’s core areas of activity is to deepen knowledge of the life and work of its patron.

The Foundation initiates and supports:

since 2024 – a research project on the painting techniques of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski, carried out by a team of researchers and conservators,
research into the materials and painting techniques used by the artist,
the search for and documentation of unknown or rarely exhibited works,
the collection of iconographic and biographical materials,
the documentation of works held in museums and private collections,
research into the artistic milieu in which Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski lived and worked.

THE WIERUSZ-KOWALSKI FAMILY AND GENEALOGY

The Foundation also extends its focus to the history of the entire Wierusz-Kowalski family, highlighting individuals whose artistic, social, academic or public activities have remained relatively unknown to date.

As part of these activities:

since 2023 – contacts with representatives of various branches of the family have been maintained and developed,
5 October 2024 – during the 2nd World Congress of the Wierusz-Kowalski Families, participants symbolically planted an oak tree on the Boulevards along the Czarna Hańcza to commemorate Alfred,
2024–2026 – materials dedicated to, amongst others, Zofia, Czesław, Joanna, Karol and other members of the family are being published,
the family tree is being expanded,
photographs, documents and family mementoes are being collected,
the Wierusz-Kowalski family reunions are being documented,
knowledge about places linked to the history of individual branches of the family is being promoted.

PUBLICATIONS AND DISSEMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE

The Foundation carries out publishing and outreach activities aimed at making knowledge about Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski and his family available to as wide an audience as possible.

This includes, amongst other things:

2023–2026 – preparing materials, presentations and publications devoted to Alfred and the Wierusz-Kowalski family,
2025–2026 – the production of an album of paintings by Czesław Wierusz-Kowalski,
23 August 2026 – publication of the album of Czesław Wierusz-Kowalski’s paintings,
disseminating research findings,
participation in radio programmes and other media initiatives,
developing the Foundation’s website as a source of information about the artist, his work and his family.

PRESERVATION AND COLLECTION OF HERITAGE

An important task of the Foundation is to preserve the material traces associated with Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski and his family.

The activities undertaken include:

16 May 2025 – the Foundation’s acquisition of a portrait of Władysław Mickiewicz by Czesław Wierusz-Kowalski,
31 October 2025 – the younger generation of the family taking action to look after the grave of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski in the Avenue of Merit at Warsaw’s Powązki Cemetery,
14 December 2025 – the donation of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’s painting *Evening Sledging* to the Art Department of the Regional Museum in Suwałki,
8 June 2026 – unveiling of a plaque commemorating Izabela Roman’s donation of Polish contemporary art to the Regional Museum in Suwałki, on the Foundation’s initiative,
documenting paintings, photographs and family mementoes,
documenting places associated with the family, including in Suwałki, Mikorzyn, Posada, Brwinów and Ojsławice.

CO-OPERATION WITH MUSEUMS, INSTITUTIONS AND RESEARCHERS

Since its inception, the Foundation has been developing cooperation with the museum, academic, conservation and artistic communities.

This collaboration includes:

since 2023 – collaboration with the Regional Museum in Suwałki on events, exhibitions and activities dedicated to the Wierusz-Kowalski family,
from 2024 – collaboration with a team of researchers and conservators specialising in the painting techniques of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski,
2025–2026 – collaboration on the project ‘Time Returned: In the Footsteps of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’,
collaboration with art historians, conservators, museum professionals and artists,
contacts with archives, libraries and other institutions holding materials relating to the family,
collaboration with collectors, owners of artworks and representatives of the Wierusz-Kowalski family.

The Regional Museum in Suwałki remains a particularly important partner of the Foundation, with which numerous projects are carried out relating to the research and promotion of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’s work.

EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

The Foundation endeavours to bring Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’s legacy to a wider audience, not only to specialists and art lovers, but also to the residents of Suwałki, families and the younger generation.

Among the activities undertaken are:

2023 – the Foundation’s first participation in the parade during Suwałki Days,
10 August 2024 – participation in the town parade during Suwałki Days and the organisation of outdoor family workshops as part of the Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Street Festival,
5 October 2024 – planting of an oak tree in memory of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski during the 2nd World Congress of the Wierusz-Kowalski Families,
18 October 2025 – Family Picnic with Alfred,
8 August 2026 – the Foundation’s participation in the Town Parade during Suwałki Days,
10 August 2026 – Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Street Festival,
8 June 2026 – an initiative to commemorate Izabela Roman’s donation to the Suwałki Regional Museum with a special plaque.

Through these activities, the Foundation combines research into the past with its contemporary promotion, striving to preserve the legacy of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski and the entire Wierusz-Kowalski family for future generations.

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