Behind the wheel (2012) by Andrzej Cisowski

The quiet rise of the Polish art market

The Saatchi Gallery's Polish Art Now showcases a rising national scene, both culturally and economically

A forthcoming exhibition at London's Saatchi gallery suggests that, beyond the traditional European art hubs of London, Paris and Berlin, we should also be looking towards Lodz and Warsaw for great new works.

Polish Art Now, hosted Warsaw auctioneers, Abbey House, runs at The Saatchi Gallery June 3 - 9, and shows some of the finest contemporary artworks the country has to offer. Established works, including bright, critical images of Andrej Cisowski and Szymon Urbanski's canvases, which seem to draw on Soviet-era tropes and earlier, folksier styles, will be on show alongside younger exhibitors, like Maciej Wieczerzak and Jakub Slomkowski.

 

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Culturally speaking, it would be naïve to expect anything less than a well-developed arts scene from a country with great universities, a deep cultural establishment, and a tumultuous recent history.

Yet, Polish Art Now, in part, reflects the growing commercial strength of Poland's art scene; some estimate the market to be worth about $100m. Saatchi puts this local strength down to public support, as well as a burgeoning commercial sector. Abbey House, was only founded 2010, yet is now the country's foremeost fine art auctioneer, and appears to be finding no shortage of good works to offer up for sale to both its prosperous fellow nationals and international collectors alike.

 

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To find out more about the exhibition, go here. To learn more about one Polish painter already attracting strong international attention, consider our Wilhelm Sasnal Monograph;

for more on the great Polish sculptor and installation artist, browse our Pawel Althamer book; and for greater insight into up and coming cultural centres across the globe, take a look at Art Cities of The Future.