Stanisław Frenkiel
RWA (14 September 1918 in
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 ...
– 21 June 2001 in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
) was a Polish
expressionist
Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...
painter, graphic artist, art historian, teacher, academic and writer.
Life
He was born in the family of Arnold Frenkiel and his wife Bronisława. His mother brought him up as a lone parent after his father fell victim to the
Spanish flu
The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 subtype of the influenza A virus. The earliest docum ...
pandemic in 1919.
In 1937 he completed his schooling at Kraków's Henryk Sienkiewicz
Gimnazjum and entered the
Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts
The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public higher education, institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Polish fine art academy, established in 1 ...
in the city. His lecturers included
Władysław Jarocki,
Kazimierz Sichulski,
Xawery Dunikowski
Xawery Dunikowski (; 24 December 1875 – 26 January 1964) was a Polish sculptor and artist, notable for surviving Auschwitz concentration camp, and best known for his Neo-Romantic sculptures and Auschwitz-inspired art.
Biography
Dunikowski wa ...
and Eugeniusz Eibisch. During the summer vacation of 1939 he set off on an art tour of
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 ...
, by way of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
where he stopped off to see the exhibition of
Degenerate art put on by the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
. Then in Paris he encountered the work of
Moïse Kisling
Moïse Kisling (born Mojżesz Kisling; 22 January 1891 – 29 April 1953) was a Polish-born French painter. Born in Kraków, then part of Austria-Hungary, to Jews, Jewish parents, Kisling studied at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, Academy ...
,
Jan Wacław Zawadowski, Efraim Mandelbaum, Artur Nacht-Samborski, and in particular
Georges Rouault
Georges-Henri Rouault (; 27 May 1871, Paris - 13 February 1958, Paris) was a French painter, draughtsman, and printmaker, whose work is often associated with Fauvism and Expressionism.
Childhood and education
Rouault was born into a poor famil ...
, whose work impressed him greatly.
He made his way back to Kraków in August 1939 to rejoin his fiancé, Anna Leonora Neuman. After several months of German occupation they resolved to flee over the border into
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, but failed. On the advice of his lecturer, artist Eugeniusz Eibisch, they relocated to Lwów (now
Lviv
Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
). There Stanisław Frenkiel was arrested by the
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...
for refusing to accept Soviet citizenship and was deported to a camp in Suhobesodnoye near
Nizhny Novgorod
Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...
. He survived the privations of the camp partly due to his sketching the guards in their uniforms. At the end of that year an amnesty enabled him to leave the labour camp and he made his way to
Tomsk
Tomsk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast in Russia, on the Tom (river), Tom River. Population:
Founded in 1604, Tomsk is one of the oldest cities in Siberia. It has six univers ...
, having heard that his fiancé Anna, had been deported to
Yakuts
The Yakuts or Sakha (, ; , ) are a Turkic ethnic group native to North Siberia, primarily the Republic of Sakha in the Russian Federation. They also inhabit some districts of the Krasnoyarsk Krai. They speak Yakut, which belongs to the Si ...
on the
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk; Historically also known as , or as ; ) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands on the southeast, Japan's island of Hokkaido on the sou ...
. There he found out she had been taken south and he managed to get to
Almaty
Almaty, formerly Alma-Ata, is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population exceeding two million residents within its metropolitan area. Located in the foothills of the Trans-Ili Alatau mountains ...
. Thanks to the Union of
Kazakh Artists he obtained work as portrait painter to the local political cadre. Not ceasing from his search for Anna he discovered she was now in
Fergana
Fergana ( uz-Latn-Cyrl, Fargʻona, Фарғона, ), () or Ferghana, also Farghana is a district-level city and the capital of Fergana Region in eastern Uzbekistan. Fergana is about 320 km east of Tashkent, about 75 km southwest of A ...
in
Uzbekistan
, image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg
, image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg
, symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem
, national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...
. Having arrived there, he came across her by chance in a street as she queued for bread. Together again, they were next deported to
Khirgistan where they succumbed to
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...
. Having recovered they married in 1942 in the large village of
Kurshab.
He managed to join general Anders'
Polish forces being mobilised at that time in Soviet Russia and crossed the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...
from
Turkmenbasi into
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
. His new wife was meanwhile marching behind the troops with the civilian deportees and they met up again in
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
. From there in 1943 he was moved to
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
and the
Palestinian Mandate
The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British administration of the territories of Palestine and Transjordanwhich had been part of the Ottoman Empire for four centuriesfollowing the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in Wo ...
where he underwent officer training. In preparation for the
Italian campaign, he was sent to
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. Owing to
Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
's opposition the operation was called off and he remained in Egypt until the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. At war's end he was able to travel to
Beirut
Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
where his wife had gained a place to study medicine at the
American University of Beirut
The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...
. Here, he received the news from his aunt, who gad survived the war, that his mother Bronislawa and his stepfather Benjamin (Juma) had been shot dead in Zakliczyn, a small town in Southern Poland.
He took up a place to study Fine Art at the
Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts
The Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA; ) was originally a stand-alone Lebanon, Lebanese institute, now one of the Faculty (university), faculties at the University of Balamand, teaching courses in fine art. It was founded in 1937, and it was the ...
in November 1945 and completed the course two years later. He developed his own style drawing on local colour and street life and began exhibiting there while participating in the intellectual life of the Polish émigré community, co-founding two reviews, ''Pion'' and ''Dziurka od klucza''. In 1947 the British authorities announced that Poles who had served in the Allied Forces could choose either to return to Poland or to go to the United Kingdom. Arriving in Britain, he was posted to a camp in
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
. In January 1948 he was joined there by his wife and Beirut-born baby son, Andrew, followed by demobilisation from the army.
He began his British career with further studies at the
Sir John Cass College of Art. On completion he set up the first art department at the London
Jesuit-rungrammar school,
Wimbledon College
Wimbledon College is a government-maintained, voluntary-aided, Jesuit Catholic secondary school and sixth form for boys aged 11 to 19 in Wimbledon, London.
The college was founded in 1892 "for improvement in living and learning for the greate ...
. Later he taught art education at
Gipsy Hill Collegebefore moving to lead the art department at the
University of London, Institute of Education . After a post-graduate degree in the History of Art from the
Courtauld Institute of Art
The Courtauld Institute of Art (), commonly referred to as The Courtauld, is a self-governing college of the University of London specialising in the study of the history of art and conservation.
The art collection is known particularly for ...
he rose to be head of Art at the
Institute of Education
The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior t ...
and finally
Reader in Art at
UCL. His prolific artistic output, including
printmaking
Printmaking is the process of creating work of art, artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand proces ...
, continued alongside his academic work and free-lance writing and
art criticism
Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art. Art critics usually criticize art in the context of aesthetics or the theory of beauty. A goal of art criticism is the pursuit of a rational basis for art appreciation but it is quest ...
in the Polish language
émigré press. He exhibited widely in the UK and abroad, beginning at the trend-setting
Grabowski Gallery in Chelsea, for whom he also wrote exhibition notes for other artists. He was a founding member in 1957 of the Association of Polish Artists in Great Britain.
In 1994
Krakow Academy of Fine Arts conferred on Frenkiel the distinction of
Doctor honoris causa
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
.
In 1997 the President of the
Republic of 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 ...
awarded him the Polish Army Cross for
Polish forces in the West.
He died on 17 June 2001 in London and was buried at
Putney Vale
Putney Vale is a small community in south west London. It lies between Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common, to the east of Beverley Brook and Kingston Vale. Its main features are a housing estate, a superstore and a large cemetery. The A3 dua ...
cemetery.
Legacy
Frenkiel's substantial body of artistic and written work was deposited at the
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń or NCU (, UMK) is located in Toruń, Poland. It is named after Nicolaus Copernicus, who was born in Toruń in 1473.
History
The beginnings of higher education in Toruń
The first institution of higher ...
Émigré Archives by his daughter, Oleńka Frenkiel, the award-winning
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
investigative journalist in 2009.
Documentation
In Polish:
*Ker., Plastycy polscy w ''
Galerii Grabowskiego'', „Oblicze Tygodnia” 1959 nr 22(82), s. 6.
*(mc), Rozmowy plastyków, „Orzeł Biały-Syrena” 1959 nr 17, s. 6.
*(k.), Nowa wystawa w ''Galerii Grabowskiego'', „Oblicze Tygodnia. Dodatek Ilustrowany”, 1960 nr 78, s. b-c.
*D. Step, Wyłącznie dramat, „Merkuriusz Polski – Życie Akademickie – Młoda Sztuka”, 1960 nr 4–5(119–120), s. 15.
*(z), Z wystawy abstrakcjonistów, „Orzeł Biały” 1960 nr 14.
*I wystawa malarstwa i grafiki Grupy „Krąg”, Ekspozycja Klub ZPAP, Poznań, Pl. Wolności 4
older
Older is the comparative form of " old". It may refer to:
Music
* ''Older'' (George Michael album), 1996
** "Older" (George Michael song), 1996
* ''Older'' (Lizzy McAlpine album), 2024
** "Older" (Lizzy McAlpine song), 2024
* "Older" (5 Seco ...
Poznań 1961.
*M. Bohusz-Szyszko, Doroczna wystawa Zrzeszenia Plastyków Polskich w Wielkiej Brytanii w ''Galerii Grabowskiego'' w Londynie (8.XI–31.XII.1961), „Merkuriusz Polski – Życie Akademickie – Młoda Sztuka”, 1961 nr 11–12, s. 10–11.
*W. M., Wystawa „Kręgu” w Londynie, „Merkuriusz Polski – Życie Akademickie – Młoda Sztuka”, 1963 nr 3–4(153–154), s. 7.
*IV wystawa malarstwa i grafiki Grupy „Krąg”. Kraków, Pałac Sztuki, sierpień 1963
atalog Kraków 1963.
*J. Z. Kędzierski, „Dwa światy”, „Wiadomości” 1964 nr 12(938), s. 3.
*T. Karren, „Dwa światy” w ''Galerii Grabowskiego'', ''„
Tydzień Polski
''Tydzień Polski'' is the successor title to the ''Dziennik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza'' (English: "The Polish Daily and Soldier's Daily"), commonly known as ''Dziennik Polski'', ''The Polish Daily'', which was the first Polish language Dai ...
”'' 1964 nr 4, s. 6–7.
*Wystawa prac artystów polskich z Londynu: Janiny Baranowskiej, Stanisława Frenkla, Marka Łączyńskiego, 1965
atalog wystawy Kraków 1965.
*M. Bohusz-Szyszko, Malarstwo Stanisława Frenkla, ''
„Wiadomości”'' 1965 nr 37/38 (1015/1016), s. 5.
*Z. Turkiewicz, Wystawy londyńskie, ''„
Kultura
''Kultura'' (, ''Culture'')—sometimes referred to as ''Kultura Paryska'' ("Paris-based Culture")—was a leading Polish-émigré literary-political magazine, published from 1947 to 2000 by ''Instytut Literacki'' (the Literary Institute), in ...
”'' 1965 nr 4(210), s. 125–133.
*M. Bohusz-Szyszko, O polskich plastykach — bez taryfy ulgowej, „Tydzień Polski” 1967 nr 10, s. 6–7.
*M. Bohusz-Szyszko, Malarstwo Stanisława Frenkla, „Wiadomości” 1971 nr 1(1292), s. 3.
*M. Bohusz-Szyszko, O sztuce Stanisława Frenkla, „Wiadomości” 1974 nr 8(1457), s. 4.
*M. Bohusz-Szyszko, O sztuce, Londyn 1982.
*A. M. Borkowski, Wystawa „Jesteśmy” w Polskim Instytucie Kultury w Londynie, „Dziennik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza”, 24.02.1992, s. 6–7.
*A. M. Borkowski, Erotomachia — Stanisława Frenkla, „Dziennik Polski i Dziennik Żołnierza”, 2.12.1992, s. 6.
*K. Nowosielski, Wymagająca swoboda Stanisława Frenkla, „Topos” 1994 nr 1–2(9–10), s. 29–31.
*A. M. Borkowski, Czworo poważnych malarzy, „Tydzień Polski” 1996 nr 28, s. 11.
*J. Koźmiński, Ja się nie bałem, „Archiwum Emigracji. Studia – Szkice – Dokumenty” 1998 z. 1, s. 154–159.
*M. A. Supruniuk, J. Krasnodębska, Mała Galeria Sztuki Emigracyjnej ze zbiorów Archiwum Emigracji, Toruń 2002.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, Polskie galerie sztuki w Londynie w drugiej połowie XX wieku, Lublin 2003.
*M. A. Supruniuk, „Trwałość i płynność”. Sztuka polska w Wielkiej Brytanii w XX wieku — wstęp do opisu, „Archiwum Emigracji. Studia – Szkice – Dokumenty” 2006 z. 1–2(7–8), s. 127–159.
*M. A. Supruniuk, Sztuka polska w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940–2000. Antologia, wybrał, Toruń 2006.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, Galeria Sztuki Emigracyjnej w Toruniu jako atrakcja turystyczna regionu,
:Turystyka i rekreacja jako czynnik podnoszenia atrakcyjności i kon¬kurencyjności regionu, red. D. Dudkiewicz, F. Midura, E. Wysocka, Warszawa 2006, s. 275–283.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, „Dwa światy” — jedna sztuka. Pomiędzy PRL-em a niezłomnym Londynem w Galerii Mateusza Grabowskiego (1959–1975),
:Bariery kulturowe w turystyce, pod red. Z. Krawczyka, E. Lewandowskiej-Tarasiuk, J. W. Sienkiewicza, Warszawa 2007, s. 205–215.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, Polscy artyści na Wyspach Brytyjskich. Polska sztuka religijna po II wojnie światowej. Zarys problematyki,
:Gaudium in litteris, pod red. S. Janeczka, W. Bajor, M. Maciołka, Lublin 2009, s. 803–818.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, Polskie galerie sztuki w Londynie w oczach brytyjskiej i polskiej krytyki artystycznej,
:Dzieje krytyki artystycznej i myśli o sztuce. Materiały z konferencji naukowej, Toruń 13–15 czerwca 2007, pod red. M. Geron, J. Malinowskiego, Warszawa 2009, s. 371–388.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, Artyści polscy na obczyźnie. Z badań nad XX-wieczną sztuką polską poza krajem,
:Wkład wychodźstwa polskiego w naukę i kulturę Wielkiej Brytanii, Kraków 2010, s. 59–74.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, Królewski dar dla Muzeum Uniwersyteckiego, Głos Uczelni 2010 nr 11, s. 20–21.
*J. W. Sienkiewicz, Pół wieku (po)za granicami polskiej kultury i sztuki. Polscy artyści w Wielkiej Brytanii 1939–1989. Stan badań,
:Granice w kulturze, pod red. A. Radomskiego, R. Bomby, Lublin 2010, s. 246–257.
In English:
* A. Dyson, Stanisław Frenkiel: Beirut Drawings 1944-47 (The Boushra Fakhoury Collection),
.m.1986.
* A. Dyson, Passion and Paradox: The Art of Stanisław Frenkiel, London 2001.
* J. W. Sienkiewicz, "Multicultural context of Polish Art Galleries in London in the second half of the 20th Century", in "Multiculturalism at the Start of 21st Century: The British-Polish Experience". ''Australian Theory and Practice''. International Conference, ed. K. Kujawska Courtney and M. A. Łukowska, Łódź 2007, p. 347–357.
References
External links
Stanisław Frenkiel's biography, at Mikołaj Kopernik University, ToruńJan Wiktor Sienkiewicz "Dzieła Stanisława Frenkla w Toruniu, Królewski dar dla Muzeum Uniwersyteckiego" , gift of work by Frenkiel announced in the University of Toruń newsletter, "Głos Uczelni" 11/2010
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frenkiel, Stanisław
1918 births
2001 deaths
20th-century Polish painters
20th-century Polish male artists
Polish graphic designers
Polish illustrators
Polish war artists
Artists from Kraków
Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts alumni
Polish people detained by the NKVD
American University of Beirut alumni
Polish military personnel of World War II
Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom
Polish people of Jewish descent
20th-century British painters
Expressionist painters
Painters from London
Alumni of the Courtauld Institute of Art
Academics of the UCL Institute of Education
British educational theorists
Schoolteachers from London
Harvard University faculty
World War II artists
Polish male writers
Polish male essayists
20th-century Polish essayists
Burials at Putney Vale Cemetery
Polish male painters