Private exhibition
at the new area of
Villa De Bondt
22.10- 22.12.2022
Wojciech Plewinski
A must-know photographer
Wojciech Plewinski was born in Warsaw in 1928 in free Poland. He initially studied architecture but quickly developed into a free-lance photographer. In Poland, he became famous for his theater photography and his portraits of women for the renowned magazine Przekroj. But it is ultimately his free reportage that defines the great artistic quality of his work.
Wojciech Plewinski feels related to the French humanist photographers of the 1950s, Robert Doisneau, Edouard Boubat, and sometimes Henri Cartier-Bresson.
His theater photography, was greatly admired by directors such as Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Kantor, Konrad Swinarski and Jozef Szajna. He was successful in capturing the dynamics of Polish theater … which was among the world’s best.
Plewinski grew up in a war-scarred Poland. After this gray period, his first trip abroad took place to Italy (1957). This trip with a first stop in Vienna meant a culture shock for him. He discovered Italy in winter, a pure country without tourists. It gave him a huge boost in the development of his mobile reportage photography, resulting in a remarkable Italian series.
Also in 1957, he made a breathtaking reportage in the German part given to Poland after the war. The Western Land series is a particularly human photography using the former German ruins as scenography.
His love and knowledge of the body is great, his female nudes are subtle. The farmer accompanying his cow lightly dancing. Getting off the Paris subway is like a congealed mimodrama, every expression of everyone’s personnage has its meaning. Furthermore, a woman descending the bridge in Venice, the woman going to church in Nysa …. Infinite movability to be enjoyed.
Almost completely devoid of irony, his work is endowed with careful observation combined with a highly alert and sensitive eye. Over the years, his imagery became sharper and Plewinski began distilling abstract compostitions from all manner of landscapes. Beautiful examples include shots of steel mills, snow landscapes, wooden logs in water ….
In the photography world, because of his diversity, he is sometimes called the ” Polyglot ” of photographers. He is unquestionably among the most important representatives of the post-war generation.
The full diversity of his work will be on show in a retrospective exhibition at Villa De Bondt from October 22 to December 22, 2022. The selection was made in Krakow by Wojciech Plewinski himself and his son Maciej.
This exhibition was realised in collaboration with the Polish Institute Brussels.
Wim Vandekerckhove with thanks to Wojciech Nowicki
OPEN: WEDNESDAY TO SUNDAY OPEN 2-6PM
TO VISIT MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT INFO(at)VILLADEBONDT.BE
Published Books
” Reportage ”
Published in 2021 by
the Museum of Photography Krakow
Concept Wojciech Nowicki
https://mufo.krakow.pl
” Plewinski on Stage ”
Published in 2019 by
the Museum of Photography Krakow
Concept Wojciech Nowicki
https://mufo.krakow.pl
Scetches on Culture
Concept and publishing
by Macej Plewinski ( 2010 )