Franciszek Starowieyski

Skeletons - Polish Art Master, Contemporary Surreal Drawing, XXI Century

1975

Franciszek Andrzej Bobola Biberstein-Starowieyski was born on July 8, 1930, in Bratkówka. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and Warsaw from 1949–55. He specialized in poster, drawing, painting, stage design, as well as a book illustration. He was a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale. Throughout his career, his style deviated from the socialist realism that was prevalent during the start of his career and the popular, brightly colored posters. He was the first Polish artist to have an individual exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1986. His works were exhibited, among others, in Belgium, the United States, France, Austria, Canada, Switzerland and Italy and might be found in private and public collections around the world. He won several major awards like International Biennale of the Arts Award, São Paulo in 1973, Film poster award, Cannes Film Festivalin 1974, Gold Plaque, International Film Festival, Chicago in 1979, Silver Hugo, Film poster competition in 1982, 3rd Prize at International Biennial of Posters, Warsaw in 2000. He died on February 23, 2009, in Warsaw.