It’s early summer, and the bright sun penetrates the interior of a Warsaw-based tower building through a glazed wall. The Common Arts Foundation is based in the heart of Warsaw on the eighth floor of the building. It is a quasi-public space, open to the city architecturally. A visit to the foundation is a unique aesthetic experience, allowing viewers to see paintings and sculptures of artists working in the 20th and 21st centuries, accompanied by modern, big-city architecture. The place was created as an expression of the need for collectors to create a space dedicated to collectors. Iwona Wojnarowicz, President of the Common Arts Foundation speaks about its objectives and mission.
Julia Gorlewska: The Common Arts Foundation was established out of collectors’ need to create artistic space for collectors. What does this mean? How was the idea for the foundation born and why?
Iwona Wojnarowicz: As the president of the foundation, I have been working in the art sector for over fifteen years now. During my meetings with collectors, I would repeatedly hear that they lacked an open and safe space, a place they could meet in their own circles, boast their collections, without any commercial connotations. There are numerous impressive collections being created in Poland based on specific ideas and issues. They are interesting and have educational potential and yet, they are hidden in their homes. Together with the founder, Jakub Mrówka, whose collection I have the honour of curating, we have been wondering what else we could do.
Exhibitions in public institutions are usually built solely around museum collections. Cooperation with them requires an immense workload, engagement and time from collectors. Our goal was to create a non-public institution. The objectives of the foundation, most of all include educational and exhibition activities as we want to contribute to the development of culture in Poland. This is how we got the idea to establish an institution which is non-commercial, which is not focused on trading operations but on promoting works of art. It is founded on private collections with a marginal share of auction houses and museums. The aim was to create a space where collectors have a chance to showcase their items under their own names or anonymously and share their fascination with their friends and other art enthusiasts.
JG: The starting point is Jakub Mrówka’s collection, but I understand that the idea is to allow every collector wishing to present their collections to the public to turn to you in the future?
IW: Yes, the founder’s collection is the first exhibition. Obviously we started with the collection owned by the person who created the place. Of course, it is only a small part of the collection and we are planning its further presentation in the future. Our ambition is to present private collections, meaning works owned by anyone wishing to showcase their collections to a wider public. That is why we have called it a place from collectors to collectors. The role of museums is to develop review exhibitions, the role of galleries is to organise problem-specific exhibitions, and our job is to present private collections. Of course, exhibitions will be arranged in line with certain curatorial ideas, but at the same time the main task will be to demonstrate specific notions behind a given collection.
Visiting the Studio of Magdalena Abakanowicz The Godmother of Installation Art.
The studio of Magdalena Abakanowicz, entered on the list of Warsaw Historic Art Studio, is located on Stępińska Street in Mokotów district in Warsaw. It occupies quite a large space of 277 m². All rooms are filled with works by this renowned artist.
In an interview with Magdalena Grabowska and Marta Kowalewska, we talk about Magdalena Abakanowicz’s art, her process of searching for her own language and path in art, and her art studio.
JG: It is surely filling a certain niche on the Polish art market. The paintings we can see here were created in the 20th and 21st centuries. They are outstanding works of the classics of Polish avant-garde after 1945, among others, Jerzy Tchórzewski, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Roman Opałka and Teresa Pągowska. Why did you choose these artists? What guided you in building such a collection?
IW: Jakub’s collection is based on the classics of the 20th and 21st centuries. Collections are always the outcome of education and collectors’ tastes. To me, it is a typical collection as it is based on powerful, classic and top names. In this case, we rely on the most spectacular and recognisable works (for example, by Kantor or Tchórzewski) which are supplemented by items which go beyond the classic, well-known canon of a given artist, thus showing the multidimensional nature of their talents. Each new purchase is preceded by an in-depth analysis of the market, items, and names. I am responsible for the typical art historical research, which means that I check whether given works are properly priced, described, if they have the element of quality we wish to incorporate into our collections. Only then, the founder can make the decision of buying a given work. In the first part of the exhibition we present the classic artists who were engaged in creative activities, mainly after 1945, while the second part is devoted to the New Generation (Agata Bogacka, Rafał Bujnowski, Joanna Piotrowska, Aneta Grzeszykowska).
JG: The foundation is located in the very centre of Warsaw, on the eighth floor of a glazed tower building. How does the space affect the reception of the works being showcased? Does the design of the place automatically provide context for the present and future exhibitions at the foundation?
IW: The light moderates the space and it is the most beautiful thing about it. Thanks to this, the atmosphere of the gallery changes depending on the time of day. It provides particularly pleasant sensations in the evening as the sun is setting and everything is slightly toned down, giving a homely touch to the space. The space spontaneously affects the works being presented, building up the atmosphere of the place. At first, the architects’ idea was to cover all the windows and extend the exhibition space. But Jakub and I appreciated the New York chic of the interior. We did not want to have a typical white cube or a cold museum hall. That is why we decided to leave all those windows. Actually, the idea of the space fits very well with the general idea behind the foundation — to be a space for collectors, not viewers. That is why we only have visits by appointment. If someone comes here, we wish to devote some time to our guests.
JG: Let’s talk about your plans. Your programme includes a podcast, exhibition, research work, lectures and interviews with artists. What are the objectives and mission of the foundation?
IW: The research plan is completely distinct from the exhibition plans. The main premise behind the foundation is education. It is the most important element of the programme and the other projects listed on our website will be implemented in the future, in due time. The first conversations and interviews will probably be published at the beginning of next year. As for the educational programme, the activities will mostly focus on catalogues raisonné. At the moment we are preparing a catalogue of Jerzy Tchórzewski’s work and in early winter we are planning to organise a series of meetings related to its release. The beta version is available at the moment. It is being improved in line with the online catalogue idea and updated on the basis of new scientific discoveries. That is why we are planning to organise monthly meetings with people who have been co-creating the catalogue, with heirs and collectors who deal with Tchórzewski. All lectures will be held in the space, recorded and published on our website without any additional fees.
JG: Will the lectures be open to everyone?
IW: We will provide free open access to educational meetings. The fact is that you will need to be interested directly in the foundation’s activities to learn about the opening. News about events will only be posted on industry media websites. We are aiming for quality, not quantity. After the summer season, we are planning to send information about the foundation, our activities, and catalogue raisonné to public libraries and secondary schools. In Poland, particularly in small towns, there aren’t many public institutions which have access to good and high quality textbooks about art history. Although at present, in the internet era, access to information is much easier than in the past, knowledge is limited to basic facts. We have so far included 820 items in our catalogue, which gives a wide and in-depth outlook on Tchórzewski’s creative work.
JG: Please tell me why you have devoted your first catalogue to this artist, and what your research process looked like.
IW: Because we have his works in our collection. We want to deal with the work of artists who we are personally interested in. It is largely the outcome of meetings, conversations and access to information. We wanted the launch of the foundation to be accompanied by the official publication of the catalogue. We knew that it would take a few years to prepare it from scratch, so we started to look for catalogue-raisonné-type publications that had been developed and released. It turned out that IRSA publishing house had issued Jerzy Tchórzewski’s catalogue in 2018. We started negotiations which immediately gave rise to cooperation. Together with IRSA we digitised the paper version, which we are going to update on an ongoing basis. This is the advantage of online catalogues, as only a few years have passed since the release of the paper version, we know that a dozen or so new works have been placed on the market since that time and they will appear on our website on a regular basis. They will never have a chance to be placed in the paper catalogue.
JG: The editorial work on a catalogue raisonné requires knowledge, perseverance and patience. It includes documenting source materials, cooperating with experts and an exchange of knowledge. Would you compare preparing the catalogue to academic research?
IW: Definitely, yes. The form of the catalogue depends only on the experts we invite to cooperate with us. Our task is to support them in their research and create convenient conditions. We don’t interfere in the process itself.
We are here to arrange all the accompanying attractions which will complement the knowledge that is included in the catalogues. In addition to the artists and their creative work, we are also fascinated by their circles. One of the first conversations I held and hoped to publish online was an interview with Jonasz Stern’s wife. It is often the case that people from an artist’s closest surroundings talk about their art and history in a more astute way than the artists themselves. This is what we want to deal with at the foundation. In addition to artists and experts, we will invite people to tell their stories, not only from the perspective of a genius artist, but also a human being. As a foundation we wish to propagate full awareness around Polish artists. Tchórzewski’s catalogue allows us to study his art from beginning to end, and at the same time focus on a period that we find most interesting.
JG: What role does education play in collecting and in the statutory objectives of the foundation?
IW: My work mostly involves conversations with collectors and opening up further doors. As the President of the foundation, I have a background in art history, museum activities, and cooperation with auction houses. Collections grow along with collectors, as they develop, raise their awareness, expand their horizons and transform their outlook on art. The foundation acts on the idea. It is not our role to be a university, but we want collectors and art enthusiasts to be able to grow with us. Our goal is not to showcase art, but to hold conversations about art and collecting. It is usually more important to learn why a given collector has chosen not to buy something than why they decided to add a given work to their collection.
JG: Polish society has become wealthier in recent years. There are many new places that trade in art. Small auction houses usually have any qualified experts, which increases the risk of a growing number of forgeries on the market. Your catalogues will surely be a great support in this problem.
IW: Exactly. Our catalogues will surely be very helpful in these circumstances. If someone spots Tchórzewski’s work on the internet, they will be able to verify its authenticity independently based on the information published on our website. They can always contact us directly to confirm that a given work is authentic. It might turn out that a painting is new on the market and our task will be to add it to the catalogue.
JG: What are your plans for the future? How could your educational role influence the perception of art in Poland?
IW: We are hugely interested in showing not only Polish but also foreign collections. Polish artists are part of many collections all around the world. Our contemporary art market is international. Also, it is time to show foreign art collections which include Polish artists. From the wider perspective, in the next few years, our goal is to become one of the most important foundations making Polish art available to an international audience. By that time, we will create several key catalogues of artists. We want our educational activities and the work put into the catalogues to result in an increase in international awareness concerning Polish art. It will also increase access to education not only for market specialists but also for any student or person interested in contemporary painting.
JG: How do you assess the role/place of the foundation on the Polish art market?
IW: The foundation is not part of the market. Commercial or sale activities are not our role. Our overriding objective is to increase and facilitate access to culture and art through exhibition activities, event organisation, education and publishing activities based on open access to content on the internet. That is why catalogues raisonné are the core of our operations.
JG: Thank you for this interesting conversation.
