The National Museum in Warsaw (, MNW) is a

national museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, one of the largest museums in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of

ancient art Ancient art refers to the many types of art produced by the Advanced culture, advanced cultures of History of society, ancient societies with different Writing system, forms of writing, such as those of Ancient China, China, Ancient India, India ...

(

Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

), counting about 11,000 pieces, an extensive gallery of Polish painting since the 16th century and a collection of foreign painting (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, French, Flemish, Dutch,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

) including some paintings from Adolf Hitler's private collection, ceded to the museum by the American authorities in post-war Germany. The museum is also home to

numismatic Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects. Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...

collections, a gallery of

applied art The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Univ ...

s and a department of oriental art, with the largest collection of

Chinese art Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based on or draws on Chine ...

in Poland, comprising some 5,000 objects. The museum boasts the Faras Gallery with Europe's largest collection of

Nubia Nubia (, Nobiin language, Nobiin: , ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the confluence of the Blue Nile, Blue and White Nile, White Niles (in Khartoum in central Sudan), and the Cataracts of the Nile, first cataract ...

n Christian art and the Gallery of Medieval Art with artefacts from all regions historically associated with Poland, supplemented by selected works created in other regions of Europe.

History

The National Museum in Warsaw was established on 20 May 1862, as the "Museum of Fine Arts, Warsaw", and in 1916 renamed "National Museum, Warsaw" (with the inclusion of collections from museums and cultural institutions such as the Society of Care for Relics of the Past, the Museum of Antiquity at Warsaw University, the Museum of the Society for Encouragement of the Fine Arts, and the Museum of Industry and Agriculture). Warsaw 1938

The collection, on Jerusalem Avenue, is housed in a building designed by Tadeusz Tolwiński, developed between 1927 and 1938 (earlier the museum had been located at ''ulica Podwale 15''). In 1932 an exhibition of decorative art opened in the two earlier erected wings of the building. The new building was inaugurated on 18 June 1938. The purpose-built modernistic edifice, was situated on the edge of Na Książęcem Park established between 1776–79 for Prince Kazimierz Poniatowski. From 1935 the museum director was

Stanisław Lorentz Stanisław Lorentz (28 April 1899 – 15 March 1991) was a Polish scholar of museology and history of art. He was director of the National Museum in Warsaw in the years 1935-1985, deputy to Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Sejm - the Polish Par ...

, who directed an effort to save the most valuable works of art during World War II. During the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

the building was damaged and after the Siege of Warsaw the collection was looted by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

led by Nazi historian Dagobert Frey, who had already prepared a meticulous list of the most valuable artwork on official visits from Germany in 1937. The Gestapo headquarters presented

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

's portrait of Maerten Soolmans as a gift to Hans Frank in occupied

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

and packed everything else to be shipped to Berlin. After the war the Polish Government, under the supervision of Professor Lorentz, retrieved many of the works seized by the Germans. More than 5,000 artifacts are still missing. Many works of art of, at that time unknown or of uncertain provenance (e.g. originating from Nazi German art repositories in Polish

Recovered Territories The Recovered Territories or Regained Lands () are the lands east of the Oder–Neisse line, Oder-Neisse line that over the centuries were gradually lost by Poland and colonized by the Germans, and that returned to Poland after World War II. T ...

in Kamenz, Karthaus, Liebenthal and Rohnstock among others) were nationalized by the communist authorities using subsequent decrees and acts from 1945, 1946 and 1958 and were included in the museum collection as so-called ''abandoned property''. At present, the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw includes over 780,000 items displayed in many permanent galleries, including the Professor Kazimierz Michałowski Faras Gallery and galleries given over to ancient art, medieval art, painting, goldsmithing, decorative art and oriental art, as well as many temporary exhibitions. In 2008-2013 the "Polish Archaeological Mission " Tyritake" of National Museum in Warsaw" conducted works at Tyritake,

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

. In 2016 the "Polish Archaeological Mission "Olbia" commenced works at Olbia (archaeological site),

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. Both are headed by Alfred Twardecki curator of the Ancient Art Gallery. In 2010 the National Museum, as one of the first state institutions in the world, held an exhibition entirely dedicated to homoerotic art - ''Ars Homo Erotica''. Since the 2011–12 renovation, the museum is also considered one of the most modern in Europe with a computer-led LED lighting allowing to enhance unique qualities of every painting and exhibit. In 1945 the National Museum took over the historic

Nieborów Palace Nieborów Palace (; pronounced: ) is a palace located in the village of Nieborów, Łódź Voivodeship in Poland. Built in the 17th century by one of the greatest Baroque architecture, Baroque architects, Tylman van Gameren, the building belongs ...

in the village of the same name and made them its subsidiaries. In the early perioid, the deputy curator there was the writer Mieczysław Smolarski.

Permanent galleries

Faras Gallery National Museum in Warsaw 2016 02

In 2012 the permanent galleries underwent revolutionary changes. The

curator A curator (from , meaning 'to take care') is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the particular ins ...

s of the museum re-arranged it and supplemented it with new works from the museum's warehouses. Paintings were not hung chronologically, but thematically:

genre painting Genre painting (or petit genre) is the painting of genre art, which depicts aspects of everyday life by portraying ordinary people engaged in common activities. One common definition of a genre scene is that it shows figures to whom no identity ca ...

still life A still life (: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, human-m ...

s, landscapes, cityscapes, biblical, mythological, nudes. Works by Italian, Flemish, Dutch, German and Polish artists were hung together, making it easy to observe and compare similarities and differences. The Gallery of Ancient Art, Faras Gallery, Gallery of Medieval Art, Gallery of Old Masters, Gallery of 19th-century Art and the Gallery of 20th and 21st-century, includes the works of Polish painters and sculptors and are displayed in the context of art in other countries and in different epochs. The galleries reflect the richness and diversity of traditions and historical experiences of individual nations, which, however, built their cultural identity on the same foundation of Greco-Roman antiquity and the Christian religion. The Gallery of Medieval Art mainly presents objects from the late

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

(14th-15th century), originating from different regions of today's Poland, as well as several examples of western European art. These works were originally designed almost exclusively for churches. The exhibition was designed to allow the audience to understand the role of art in the religious life of the Middle Ages. The gallery presents trans-regional phenomena from the 12th–14th centuries, such as the distinction of figurative sculpture from architecture in the Romanesque era,

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

an sculpture from the circle of the ''Madonnas on the Lion'', and so-called ''

International Gothic International Gothic is a period of Gothic art that began in Burgundy, France, and northern Italy in the late 14th and early 15th century. It then spread very widely across Western Europe, hence the name for the period, which was introduced by the ...

'', also referred to as a courtly style. Many of the works included in the exhibition underline a distinct character of Central European regions such as

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

between 1440 and 1520 (with large quartered

polyptych A polyptych ( ; Greek: ''poly-'' "many" and ''ptychē'' "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Some definitions restrict "polyptych" to works with more than three sections: a diptych is ...

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

votive A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally ...

and didactic plaques, and Ways of the Cross),

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name ''Małopolska'' (; ), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a separate cult ...

Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...

and

Kuyavia Kuyavia (; ), also referred to as Cuyavia, is a historical region in north-central Poland, situated on the left bank of Vistula, as well as east from Noteć River and Lake Gopło. It is divided into three traditional parts: north-western (with th ...

between 1440 and 1520 (with

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

s and devotional paintings) and

Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...

and the Hanseatic region between 1420 and 1520 (with large altars from

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

). The new techniques implemented in the gallery allow the unabridged presentation of large polyptychs, such as the famous Grudziądz Polyptych, including the reverse of the wings. The new arrangement of the exhibition was designed by WWAA. The Gallery of Old Masters on the second floor was conceived from the former Gallery of Decorative Art, Gallery of Old European Painting and the Gallery of Old Polish and European Portrait in 2016. It combines species of pictorial art -

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

drawing Drawing is a Visual arts, visual art that uses an instrument to mark paper or another two-dimensional surface, or a digital representation of such. Traditionally, the instruments used to make a drawing include pencils, crayons, and ink pens, some ...

s and prints with

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

s in reference to the very notion of "

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

" which originally meant craftsmanship. Painting and sculpture with its representational character and imitation of reality (''

mimesis Mimesis (; , ''mīmēsis'') is a term used in literary criticism and philosophy that carries a wide range of meanings, including '' imitatio'', imitation, similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the act of expression, the act of ...

'') was united with

decorative arts ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typically excl ...

in common goals and functions as well as in spaces where they were collected and exhibited. These "social spaces" have provided the key to the division of the gallery: 1. palace, villa, court; 2. church, chapel and domestic altar; 3. the city. In other words: 1. court culture; 2. religious culture; 3. city culture. In the redesigned gallery, the works are presented not according to national schools, but as a confrontation of artistic circles of the South and North. The new system reflects the hierarchy of the genres created by

Renaissance art Renaissance art (1350 – 1620) is the painting, sculpture, and decorative arts of the period of European history known as the Renaissance, which emerged as a distinct style in Italy in about AD 1400, in parallel with developments which occurr ...

theory and the former function of the paintings. The aim of this exhibition is to show, for what purpose and for which recipients, works of art were created. Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie Galeria Sztuki XIX wieku

Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie Galeria Sztuki XIX wieku

The gallery shows a variety of effigies, reflecting the multiplicity of social, political and private functions of portraiture. The exhibition opens with monumental images of courtly and aristocratic portraits and busts compiled with some examples of traditional Polish and Western European portraits ''en pied'' and followed with smaller, less formal, or private portraits, coffin portraits and 18th-century portraits followed with miniature portraits and paintings of Stanislaus Augustus' era on the first floor. The core of the new exhibition of the Gallery of 19th-century Art, presenting the main trends shaping the art in the nineteenth century, is the work of Polish painters and sculptors, which is present in the context of selected works by representatives of other nationalities. Confrontation of works by artists from different European countries shows their artistic aspirations, universal ideas or

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

s, similar experiments carried out independently or in workshop practice. One of Poland's largest

canvas painting Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...

s, the ''

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

'' by

Jan Matejko Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...

(426 cm × 987 cm (168 in × 389 in)), is displayed in the Gallery of 19th-century Art. Collections of modern and

contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...

are among the largest in Poland. Paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings from the 1920s and 1930s, Polish avant-garde film, photographs, photomontages, along with selected works of the 1980s independent culture, video and performance of the last forty years are exhibited in a 700 m gallery. Information about the selected objects is available through mobile applications and selected works are visualized and described by the gallery curator thanks to

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

Collection

Collections of the National Museum in Warsaw comprise about 830,000 exhibits of Polish and foreign art, from antiquity to the present, and include paintings, sculptures, drawings, engravings, photographs and coins as well as objects of applied art and design. The Collection of Ancient and East Christian Art numbers some 24,000 exhibits, being the largest and most important of its kind in Poland. The collection of

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

es from the Christian cathedral in Faras (ancient Pachoras in today's

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

) and a collection of painted Greek vases are among the most important. The origins of the Old European Painting Collection, comprising 3,700 paintings, dates back to 1862 and the establishment of the Museum of Fine Arts, when 36 Italian, Dutch and German paintings from Johann Peter Weyer collection in Cologne were acquired. The museum came into possession of the works of such masters as

Pinturicchio Pinturicchio, or Pintoricchio (, ; born Bernardino di Betto; 1454–1513), also known as Benetto di Biagio or Sordicchio, was an Italian Renaissance painter. He acquired his nickname (meaning "little painter") because of his small stature a ...

, Cornelis van Haarlem and

Jacob Jordaens Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678Jacques Jordaens
in the Netherlands Institute for Ar ...

. The collection was enlarged through purchases, donations and deposits. The most significant acquisition was the collection of paintings of Pietro Fiorentini, donated in 1858 to the School of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and given to the museum in 1879. The collection was further expanded through the purchase of paintings from the collection of Wojciech Kolasiński in the years 1877–1896 and bequests by Cyprian Lachnicki in 1906 including ''Flagellation of Christ'' by Pieter de Kempeneer, ''Portrait of a man in a yellow jerkin'' by Hans Schäufelein, ''Expulsion from Paradise'' by Pier Francesco Mola and ''Academic study'' by

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres ( ; ; 29 August 1780 – 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassicism, Neoclassical Painting, painter. Ingres was profoundly influenced by past artistic traditions and aspired to become the guardian of academic ...

. In 1935 the museum purchased a large collection of Jan Popławski, including ''Portrait of Admiral'' by

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

, and in 1961 a collection of Gabriela Zapolska, including several paintings by Paul Sérusier. The collection of Polish modern art gained a more international context with the purchase of ''Portrait of Tadeusz Makowski'' by Marcel Gromaire in 1959 and ''Lassitude'' by an

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

painter Tamara de Lempicka in 1979, both on permanent display. The museum also features the works of other major European artists such as

Sandro Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), better known as Sandro Botticelli ( ; ) or simply known as Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 1 ...

Lucas Cranach the Elder Lucas Cranach the Elder ( ; – 16 October 1553) was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving. He was court painter to the Electors of Saxony for most of his career, and is known for his portraits, both of German ...

Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

Gustave Courbet Jean Désiré Gustave Courbet ( ; ; ; 10 June 1819 – 31 December 1877) was a French painter who led the Realism movement in 19th-century French painting. Committed to painting only what he could see, he rejected academic convention and the ...

Angelica Kauffmann Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, ...

, Luca Giordano,

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

Joos van Cleve Joos van Cleve (; also Joos van der Beke; c. 1485–1490 – 1540/1541) was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540 or 1541. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the tr ...

Jan Brueghel the Elder Jan Brueghel (also Bruegel or Breughel) the Elder ( , ; ; 1568 – 13 January 1625) was a Flemish painting, Flemish painter and Draughtsmanship, draughtsman. He was the younger son of the eminent Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, Flemish ...

, David Teniers the Younger and Gaspare Traversi. The gallery displays a large collection of Polish

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and B ...

s of the 19th century, many of which are well-known in

Polish culture The culture of Poland () is the product of its Geography of Poland, geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to History of Poland, an intricate thousand-year history. Poland has a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic ma ...

, vividly depicting various incidents from the nation's history.

Collection highlights

Foreign Painting

File:Botticelli Madonna and Child.jpg, ''Madonna and Child'',

File:Paul Signac - Antibes - Morning - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Antibes - Morning'', Paul Signac File:Renoir Landscape near Cros-de-Cagnes.jpg, ''Landscape near Cros-de-Cagnes'',

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Pierre-Auguste Renoir (; ; 25 February 1841 – 3 December 1919) was a French people, French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionism, Impressionist style. As a celebrator of beauty and especially femininity, fe ...

File:Renoir Landscape near Cagnes-sur-Mer.jpg, ''Landscape near

Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; ) is a French Riviera town near Nice that is in the Alpes-Maritimes department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in southeastern France. Geography Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in southeaste ...

,''

File:Jan Brueghel the Elder Landscape.jpg, ''Landscape with Robbers Sharing Loot'',

File:Jordaens Holy Family with Saint John.jpg, ''Holy Family with Saint John'',

Jacob Jordaens Jacques (Jacob) Jordaens (19 May 1593 – 18 October 1678Jacques Jordaens
in the Netherlands Institute for Ar ...

File:Preti Adoration of the Shepherds.jpg, '' Adoration of the Shepherds'',

File:Courbet Seashore 01.jpg, ''Seashore'',

File:Claesz. Heda Vanitas.jpg, ''Dessert'', Willem Claesz. Heda File:Cranach the Elder Adam and Eve.jpg, ''Adam and Eve'',

File:Rembrandt Maerten Soolmans.jpg, ''Maerten Soolmans'',

File:Ingres Academic study of a male torso.jpg, ''Academic Study'',

File:Dyck Study of a Saint.jpg, ''Study of a Saint'',

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (; ; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy. The seventh child of ...

File:Pinturicchio Madonna.jpg, ''Virgin and Child with the Infant St John the Baptist'',

File:Tintoretto Venetian admiral.jpg, ''Portrait of a Venetian Admiral'',

File:Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Gitarzysta.jpg, '' The Guitar Player'',

Jean-Baptiste Greuze Jean-Baptiste Greuze (, 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting. Early life Greuze was born at Tournus, a market town in Burgundy. He is generally said to have formed his own ...

File:Anguissola A man with his daughter.jpg, ''A Man With His Daughter'',

Sofonisba Anguissola Sofonisba Anguissola ( – 16 November 1625), also known as Sophonisba Angussola or Sophonisba Anguisciola, was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Cremona to a relatively poor noble family. She received a well-rounded education that ...

File:Jan Steen - Wybór pomiędzy młodością i bogactwem.jpg, ''Choice Between Youth and Wealth'',

Jan Steen Jan Havickszoon Steen ( – buried 3 February 1679) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, one of the leading genre painters of the 17th century. His works are known for their psychological insight, sense of humour and abundance of colour. Life ...

File:Pittoni Madonna and Child with two angels.jpg, ''Madonna And Child With Two Angels'', Giambattista Pittoni File:Bordone Sacra Conversazione 01.jpg, ''

Sacra Conversazione In art, a (; plural: ''sacre conversazioni''), meaning "holy (or sacred) conversation", is a genre developed in Italian Renaissance painting, with a depiction of the Virgin and Child (the Virgin Mary with the infant Jesus) amidst a group of sain ...

'',

Paris Bordone Paris Bordone (Paris Paschalinus Bordone; 5 July 1500 – 19 January 1571) was an Italian painter of the Venetian Renaissance who, despite training with Titian, maintained a strand of Mannerist complexity and provincial vigor. Biography Bor ...

File:Kauffmann Tragedy and Comedy.jpg, ''Tragedy and Comedy'',

File:Philippe de Champaigne - Portrait of cardinal Richelieu - M.Ob.651 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, ''Portrait of

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

'',

Philippe de Champaigne Philippe de Champaigne (; 26 May 1602 – 12 August 1674) was a Duchy of Brabant, Brabant-born French people, French Baroque era painter, a major exponent of the French art, French school. He was a founding member of the Académie royale de pein ...

File:Bernardo Bellotto - View of Warsaw from the Terrace of the Royal Castle - MP 228 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, ''View of Warsaw from the Terrace of the Royal Castle,''

Bernardo Bellotto Bernardo Bellotto (c. 1721/2 or 30 January 172117 November 1780), was an Italians, Italian urban Landscape art, landscape Painting, painter or ''vedutista'', and printmaker in etching famous for his Veduta, ''vedute'' of European cities – Dr ...

File:Alma-Tadema Ignacy Jan Paderewski.jpg, ''Portrait of

Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; r 1859– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's Prime Minister of Poland, prime minister and foreign minister durin ...

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Lawrence Alma-Tadema Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema ( ; born Lourens Alma Tadema, ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom, becoming the last officially recognised Denization, denizen in 1873. Born in ...

File:Calame Lake of the four Cantons 01.jpg, '' Lake of Four Cantons'', Alexandre Calame File:Lessing Landscape in the Eifel Mountains.jpg, ''Landscape from the Eifel mountains,'' Karl Friedrich Lessing File:Bacciarelli Stanislaus Augustus in a feathered hat.jpg, ''Portrait of King Stanislaus Augustus in a Feathered Hat'',

Marcello Bacciarelli Marcello Bacciarelli (; 16 February 1731 – 5 January 1818) was an Italian-born painter of the late-baroque and Neoclassicism, Neoclassic periods active in Poland and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Biography He was born in Rome, and stud ...

Polish Painting

File:Jan Matejko, Bitwa pod Grunwaldem.jpg, '' The Battle of Grunwald'',

File:Jan Matejko, Zawieszenie dzwonu Zygmunta na wieży katedry w Krakowie w 1521 roku.jpg, '' The Hanging of the Sigismund bell,''

File:Jan Matejko - Stańczyk - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

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'',

File:Jan Matejko - Sigismund Augustus with Barbara at the Radziwiłł court in Vilnius - MP 3179 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, '' Sigismund Augustus with Barbara at the Radziwiłł court in Vilnius'',

File:Matejko Self-portrait.jpg, ''Self-portrait'',

File:Józef Simmler - Śmierć Barbary Radziwiłłówny.jpg, ''The death of Barbara Radziwiłłówna'', Józef Simmler File:Józef Chełmoński - Indian summer - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

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Józef Chełmoński Józef Marian Chełmoński (7 November 1849 – 6 April 1914) was a Polish painter of the Realism (art movement), realist school with roots in the historical and social context of the late Romanticism in Poland, Romantic period in partitioned Pol ...

File:Józef Chełmoński - Storks - MP 561 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, ''Storks'',

File:Chełmoński Partridges in the snow.png, '' Partridges in the Snow'',

File:Józef Chełmoński - Common moorhen - MP 2263 MNW - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, ''Water Hen'',

File:Jacek Malczewski, Hamlet Polski - Portret Aleksandra Wielopolskiego.jpg, '' Polish Hamlet'',

Jacek Malczewski Jacek Malczewski (; 15 July 1854 – 8 October 1929) was a Polish symbolist painter who was one of the central figures of the patriotic Young Poland movement. His works combined the predominant style of his time with historical motifs of Pol ...

File:Jacek Malczewski, Śmierć.jpg, ''Death'',

File:Malczewski Adoration of the Madonna.jpg, ''Adoration of Madonna'', central section of the

triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

“Go to the streams”,

File:Jacek Malczewski - Death of Ellenai - MP 5499 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, '' Death of Ellenai'',

File:Malczewski Thanatos.jpg, '' Thanatos'',

File:Sichulski A cottage.jpg, ''A Cottage'', Kazimierz Sichulski File:Suchodolski Assault on Saragossa.jpg, '' Assault on Saragossa'', January Suchodolski File:Brodowski Paris in the Phrygian cap.jpg, ''

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

in the

Phrygian Cap The Phrygian cap ( ), also known as Thracian cap and liberty cap, is a soft Pointed hat, conical Hat, cap with the apex bent over, associated in Classical antiquity, antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe, Anatolia, and Asia. The Phry ...

'', Antoni Brodowski File:Antoni Brodowski - Oedipus and Antigone - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Oedipus Oedipus (, ; "swollen foot") was a mythical Greek king of Thebes. A tragic hero in Greek mythology, Oedipus fulfilled a prophecy that he would end up killing his father and marrying his mother, thereby bringing disaster to his city and family. ...

and

Antigone ANTIGONE (Algorithms for coNTinuous / Integer Global Optimization of Nonlinear Equations), is a deterministic global optimization solver for general Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLP). History ANTIGONE is an evolution of GloMIQO, a global ...

'', Antoni Brodowski File:Aleksander Gierymski, Żydówka z pomarańczami.jpg, '' Jewish Woman Selling Oranges'', Aleksander Gierymski File:Gierymski In the arbour.png, '' In the Arbour'', Aleksander Gierymski File:Aleksander Gierymski, Trumna chłopska.jpg, '' Peasant Coffin'', Aleksander Gierymski File:Aleksander Gierymski, Piaskarze.jpg, ''Sandblasters'', Aleksander Gierymski File:Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa - At the seaside - MP 203 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, '' At the Seashore'', Anna Bilińska File:Boznańska In the orangery.jpg, ''In the Orangery'', Olga Boznańska File:Mehoffer Strange garden.jpg, ''Strange Garden'', Józef Mehofer File:Henryk Siemiradzki - Christian Dirce - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Christian Dirce'', Henryk Siemiradzki File:Henryk Siemiradzki - Sąd Parysa.jpg, ''

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'', Henryk Siemiradzki File:Stanisław Wyspiański, Autoportret.jpg, ''Self-portrait'',

Stanisław Wyspiański Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański (; 15 January 1869 – 28 November 1907) was a Polish playwright, painter, poet, and interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created symbolic national dramas accordant with the artisti ...

File:Stabrowski Peacock.jpg, ''Against a Stained-glass, Peacock'', Kazimierz Stabrowski File:Walenty Wańkowicz - Portrait of Adam Mickiewicz on the rock of Judah - MP 309 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, ''Adam Mickiewicz on the Ayu-Dag'', Walenty Wańkowicz File:Ruszczyc Soil.png, ''Soil'', Ferdynand Ruszczyc File:Podkowiński Nowy Świat Street in Warsaw on a summer's day.jpg, '' Nowy Świat Street in Warsaw on a Summer Day'', Władysław Podkowiński File:Wojciech Weiss - Springtime - MP 3879 MNW - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, ''Springtime'', Wojciech Weiss File:Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa - Black girl - MP 5531 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, '' A Negress'', Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowiczowa File:Witkiewicz Self-portrait with apples.jpg, ''Self-portrait'', Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz File:Marcin Zaleski - Taking of the Warsaw Arsenal - MP 4797 - National Museum in Warsaw.jpg, ''Taking of the Warsaw Arsenal'', Marcin Zaleski

Sculpture

File:Krucyfiks widlasty z kościoła Bożego Ciała we Wrocławiu.jpg, Crucifixus dolorosus of the Corpus Christi Church in Wrocław, c. 1360 File:Pieta z Lubiaza.jpg, Pietà of the Lubiąż Abbey, c. 1360-1370 File:Piękna Madonna z Wrocławia.jpg, Beautiful Madonna of Wrocław, c. 1390 File:Cracow Legend of Saint Stanislaus.JPG, Pławno altar, c. 1512

Directors

*Justynian Karnicki (1862–1876) *Cyprian Lachnicki (1876–1906) *Bronisław Gembarzewski (1916–1935) *

(1935–1982) *Ferdynand Bohdan Ruszczyc (1995–2007) *Dorota Folga-Januszewska (''acting'', 2007–2008) *Andrzej Miecznikowski (2007–2009) *Piotr Piotrowski (2009–2010) *Agnieszka Morawińska (2010–2018) *Piotr Rypson (''acting'', 2018–2018) *Jerzy Miziołek (2018–2019) *Łukasz Gaweł (''acting'', 2019–2020) *Łukasz Gaweł (2020–present)

Notes

References

# . # .

External links

Official website

Antiquities of the Black Sea, Polish-Ukrainian project of inter-museum scientific research cooperation

Polish archaeological mission "Tyritake"

Virtual tour of the National Museum, Warsaw
provided by

Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture (formerly Google Art Project) is an online platform of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from partner cultural organizations throughout the world, operated by Google. It utilizes high-re ...

* {{Authority control Museums in Warsaw Archaeological museums in Poland Art museums and galleries in Warsaw

Art museums and galleries established in 1862 1862 establishments in Poland Registered museums in Poland 1862 establishments in the Russian Empire