Olga Boznańska and… Polish Painting of the 19th and Early 20th Century from the Collection of the National Museum in Gdańsk
Schedule
- 2.08.2025–28.03.2027, 10.00–17.00
- Monday: closed
- 1.11.2026: closed
- 11.11.2026: closed
- 24.12.2026: closed
- 25.12.2026: closed
- 26.12.2026: closed
- 31.12.2026: closed
Tickets
Reduced: PLN 20
Students and pupils aged 7–26: PLN 1
Group ticket (min. 10 people, organised groups), per person: PLN 18
7-day ticket: PLN 60 regular / PLN 45 reduced
The ticket entitles the holder to one-time admission to the permanent and temporary exhibitions at each branch of the Museum within seven days of the date of purchase.
Annual pass, transferable: PLN 150
The pass entitles the holder to unlimited admission to the permanent and temporary exhibitions at each branch of the Museum for one year from the date of purchase.
Tuesday: free admission
The National Museum in Gdańsk has delved into its storage, bringing forth works long unseen by our public, amassed in its collections over decades. We aim to present them as part of the „Collection” series – a sequence of temporary exhibitions organized across our various departments. This time, we have the immense pleasure of presenting a priceless collection of paintings from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, drawn from the holdings of the Department of Modern Art at the Abbot’s Palace in Oliwa.
Within the Museum’s holdings lies a small but artistically exceptional collection of Polish painting from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which arrived here as a result of geopolitical shifts. It was only after 1945 that the National Museum in Gdańsk (then known as the Pomeranian Museum) began to acquire works by Polish artists. The initial acquisitions were gifts from the Ministry of Culture and Art, and these efforts were ideologically motivated – aiming to establish Gdańsk’s image as a Polish city. In this way, a new identity for the city was forged, effectively supplementing its museum resources with the achievements of native Polish artists. What primarily unites this collection are the renowned and widely admired works by Poland’s most significant national painters.
A direct impetus for presenting this collection is also the fact that the year 2025 is dedicated to Olga Boznańska. Our collection could not be complete without paintings by one of the most important representatives of portraiture and modernism. Indeed, the figure of this outstanding artist and her oeuvre became the direct inspiration for our narrative on Polish painting at the turn of the centuries.
The exhibition focuses on the achievements of artists who have permanently inscribed themselves into the canon of national art. The works gathered at the Gdańsk Museum represent a broad spectrum of styles and movements: from Romanticism, through Realism and Symbolism, up to Young Poland, showcasing the richness and diversity of art from this period. Each presented work is not only a masterpiece in itself but also a testament to an era rich in social, cultural, and artistic transformations.
The exhibition will feature works by artists such as the aforementioned Olga Boznańska, whose portraits continue to fascinate with their psychological depth, and Piotr Michałowski, whose battle scenes and dynamic equestrian portraits are the quintessence of Romantic painting. Masterful Symbolism can be found in the paintings of Jacek Malczewski. The exhibition will also include canvases by Stanisław Wyspiański, with his unparalleled dynamic line, and works by proponents of vibrant brushwork, such as Józef Pankiewicz, Julian Fałat, Władysław Ślewiński, and Wojciech Weiss.
The exhibition will be enriched by unique photographs from the early 20th century, sourced from the collections of the Gdańsk Gallery of Photography. Works by Jan Bułhak, one of the pioneers of Polish artistic photography, Stanisław Filibert Fleury, and Tadeusz Rząca not only document a bygone era but also stand as works of art in their own right. Their presence allows for a deeper understanding of the visual context of the times in which the featured paintings were created.
The entire exhibition will be framed by a narrative element in the form of video art and paintings by Katarzyna Swinarska*, which consciously engage in dialogue with the figure of Olga Boznańska. They create a fascinating perspective that prompts reflection on the timelessness of art.
Exhibition credits
Curator: Małgorzata Paszylka-Glaza
Curatorial collaboration: Marta Cyuńczyk, Kacper Nadolski
Graphic design: DADO s.c. Domowicz Dakszewicz
Conservation: Joanna Didik, Anna Górna, Marzena Kłossowska, Eugeniusz Panto, Beata Ruszczyk-Bińkowska, Małgorzata Wojewódzka, Anna Żychska
Inventory Department: Kalina Krasowska
Museum transport coordination: Anna Wojdat-Zielińska
Installation coordination: Joanna Librowska
Exhibition arrangement implementation: Jacek Ciechanowicz, Jan Klosskowski, Piotr Pietraszek, Wojciech Procki, Michał Abramowicz – Druk Ścienny FRESK
Promotion and communications: Paulina Szwaj
Education: Barbara Czarnek-Plasota, Noemi Etush, Emilia Kalinowska
Organizational support: Maja Bieńkowska, Gabriela Brdej, Mariusz Grym, Małgorzata Maciakowska, Daniel Starzyński, Małgorzata Taraszkiewicz-Zwolicka
* Gdańsk Collection of Contemporary Art, a deposit of the City of Gdańsk in the collection of NOMUS – New Art Museum, Branch of the National Museum in Gdańsk
Regular: PLN 25
Reduced: PLN 20
Students and pupils aged 7–26: PLN 1
Family/Friends ticket (3–8 people), per person: PLN 18
Group ticket (min. 10 people, organised groups), per person: PLN 18
7-day ticket: PLN 60 regular / PLN 45 reduced
The ticket entitles the holder to one-time admission to the permanent and temporary exhibitions at each branch of the Museum within seven days of the date of purchase.
Annual pass, transferable: PLN 150
The pass entitles the holder to unlimited admission to the permanent and temporary exhibitions at each branch of the Museum for one year from the date of purchase.
Workshop and museum lesson (up to 30 people) in Polish: PLN 300 + admission ticket
Workshop and museum lesson (up to 30 people) in English: PLN 350 + admission ticket
Guided tour for adults (up to 30 people) in Polish: PLN 300 + admission ticket
Guided tour for adults (up to 30 people) in English: PLN 300 + admission ticket
Tuesday: free admission
We would like to inform you that all war refugees and their accompanying persons are entitled to free addmission. All you need to do is to give a verbal declaration.
Concessions and ticket exemptions are available. Reduced-price tickets are offered, among others, to school and university students, holders of the Large Family Card, and people with disabilities and their carers. Free admission is available, among others, to museum professionals, ICOM and AICA members, tourist guides and journalists.
For the full list of concessions and exemptions and the applicable terms, please click here: Discounts and Exemptions and Documents Confirming Eligibility
The Department of Modern Art of the National Museum in Gdańsk is housed in the historic Abbots’ Palace, at 18 Cystersów Street, in the heart of historic Oliwa. The palace is located within Oliwa Park, in the immediate vicinity of the Oliwa Archcathedral and the Ethnography Department, housed in the Abbots’ Granary.
On foot
The Abbots’ Palace is easiest to reach on foot through Oliwa Park. From the park’s main entrance on Opata Jacka Rybińskiego Street, the walk takes about 5 minutes.
The palace is just a few minutes’ walk from the Oliwa Archcathedral. The Ethnography Department is about a 2-minute walk away.
By train – SKM and POLREGIO
The nearest railway station is Gdańsk Oliwa. From the station, the museum is about a 10–15-minute walk. Follow either Pomorska Street or Opata Jacka Rybińskiego Street towards Oliwa Park.
By tram
The nearest tram stop is Opacka, about a 5-minute walk from the museum.
Tram lines 2, 4 and 6 stop here. From the tram stop, walk along Cystersów Street to the entrance to Oliwa Park, then follow the park paths to the Abbots’ Palace.
By bus
The nearest bus stops are Oliwa, Cystersów and Opacka, all within a 5–10-minute walk of the museum.
Convenient connections are also available from buses stopping at the Oliwa terminus, from where a short walk leads through the historic part of the district.
By car
Public parking spaces are available near the museum on Cystersów Street and on the surrounding streets of Oliwa. At weekends and during events held in Oliwa Park, parking availability may be limited, so we recommend using public transport.
By bicycle
Convenient cycle routes lead to the Abbots’ Palace through Oliwa and along Grunwaldzka Avenue. Bicycle racks and MEVO bike-sharing stations are available near Oliwa Park.
Worth knowing
A visit to the Department of Modern Art is a great opportunity to explore other historic attractions in Oliwa. Oliwa Park, the Oliwa Archcathedral and the Ethnography Department of the National Museum in Gdańsk are all located nearby, making it possible to visit both museum branches during the same trip.
- The entrance to the building is on Cystersów Street, on the right-hand side, immediately after entering Oliwa Park through the gate from the direction of the Oliwa Archcathedral. There is one step down leading to the entrance.
- The ticket desk is located directly opposite the entrance.
- An induction loop is available at the ticket desk. Sign language interpretation is also available online.
- A self-service coat rack and lockers are available in the publicly accessible area of the building.
- Doorways and circulation routes in the building meet accessibility requirements.
- Some of the exhibition galleries on the ground floor are accessible to visitors with mobility impairments.
- The other floors accessible to visitors can only be reached by stairs.
- The building does not have an accessible toilet for people with disabilities.
- There is no baby changing table.
- There is no designated self-service play area for children or rest area.
- The building does not have tactile maps, Braille signage or an audio navigation system for blind visitors.
- Assistance dogs and guide dogs are welcome in the building. There are no restrictions in this regard.
- There is no designated accessible parking space for people with disabilities at the museum. The nearest accessible parking space is located among the parking spaces directly alongside the wall surrounding the Oliwa Archcathedral. Additional parking spaces are available on nearby streets, including designated paid parking spaces.
