Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’s Studio

This is what Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’s studio looked like. The photograph dates from the 1890s, of course. You can see four paintings in beautiful frames, ready for sale! Yes, yes, artists did sell their works; what’s more, they sometimes painted with a view to selling them. Romantic myths would have us believe that they took up their brushes solely out of the call of the heart and a longing for their homeland. But back to the point. Hanging above the chest of drawers is an elegantly framed photographic reproduction of *The Postman*, for which the artist was awarded a gold medal in 1883. On the walls hang magnificent tapestries; it was probably these that ended up in storage at the National Museum in Warsaw during the interwar period. And most importantly, the armchair visible in the bottom right-hand corner is in excellent condition and is on display in the Wierusz-Kowalski gallery at the Suwałki museum. The one visible in the background, in the second room, is slightly worn, but it will soon be on display at the temporary exhibition ‘Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski in the Light of Archival Materials’. It will add variety to the exhibition.