At the National Museum in Wrocław, the exhibition Waldemar Cwenarski. Tenderness. Explorations and Returns is currently on view. It has been organised to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the legendary painter and draftsman (1926–1953) and the 70th anniversary of the opening of the National Exhibition of Young Art “Against the War, Against Fascism” at the Warsaw Arsenal (1955), where the artist’s works were met with enthusiastic acclaim.

The display presents Cwenarski’s work as an exceptionally moving record of the dramatic era experienced by a generation marked by the Second World War, while also offering a universal, emotionally charged reflection on the need for closeness and love. His expressive painting technique, remarkable sensitivity to colour, and striving for synthesis while preserving maximum expressive force testify to the artist’s powerful individuality.

For the first time, Cwenarski’s works are shown within a broad context of Polish and international art: alongside possible inspirations (Witold Wojtkiewicz, Tadeusz Makowski, Georges Rouault, Käthe Kollwitz, Frans Masereel), artists of the “Arsenal” generation (Andrzej Wróblewski, Marek Oberländer, Jan Lebenstein, Jerzy Panek), and representatives of the so-called New Wild movement (Zdzisław Nitka, Ryszard Grzyb, Anka Mierzejewska). In total, nearly 160 works in various media—painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and ceramics—created over the past 120 years are on display.

Exhibition on view from September 28, 2025 to January 18, 2026
Curator: Anna Chmielarz
National Museum in Wrocław, Pl. Powstańców Warszawy 5, Wrocław
https://mnwr.pl/en/waldemar-cwenarski-tenderness-explorations-and-returns/