Hilary Krzysztofiak (1926 Szopienice (now Katowice) - 1979 Falls Church near Washington), from the series "Birds," 1966

Biography
Painter, graphic artist and theater stage designer. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. He was a member of the avant-garde St-53 Group, graphic editor of "Po prostu" and "Ruch Muzyczny" magazines, among others. He participated in important artistic events, including the Arsenal, the First Plein-Air in Osieki, the Biennale of Spatial Forms in Elblag, the exhibitions of the Crooked Circle Gallery and the Salon of Modernity, playing an important role in shaping modern Polish art in the 1950s and 1960s. He also designed sets for many plays by Ionesco and Mrożek, among others, with whom he was friends. In the late 1960s, despite the position he had achieved, after one of his exhibitions, he did not return to the country - he decided to emigrate, not finding enough space of freedom for himself and his art. He continued his work in Germany and later in the United States. After his departure, the artist's studio in Warsaw was sealed, then the paintings were thrown away, and the works on paper were burned by roofers under boilers with tar during the repair of the roof over the "Vistula" cinema. In 1976 he received the A. Jurzykowski Foundation award in New York. He was a well-known person in Polish émigré circles, including the circle of the Parisian "Culture". J. Czapski, S. Mrozek, W. Odojewski wrote about him. At home, the censorship of the Polish People's Republic condemned him to non-existence. His work was only recalled by a monographic exhibition in March 1997 in Warsaw's Zachęta Gallery. This exhibition was subsequently hosted by the Silesian Museum in Katowice and the Bunkier Sztuki Gallery in Cracow.