27 September–14 December 2025
Opening: 26 September, 18.00

At the beginning of the 20th century in Paris, Constantin Brâncuși revolutionised the language of sculpture, reducing form to its essence and seeking purity and spiritual depth in it. Considered one of the fathers of modern art, he introduced abstraction and organic simplicity into his sculptural works. The exhibition organised at the International Cultural Centre in Krakow in cooperation with the Romanian Cultural Institute presents a selection of unique photographs of Brâncuși from three prestigious private collections: David Grob, Bruce Silverstein and Christian Reyntjens. The exhibition “Brâncuși. Sculpting with Light” is an attempt to delve into the Romanian artist’s creative process, to understand how he perceived the world and matter, and how he used light and shadow to give form deeper meanings. The curator is Doïna Lemny, a renowned expert on Brâncuși’s art and author of numerous publications on the subject. On behalf of the ICC, the exhibition is co-curated by Karolina Wójcik, head of the Exhibition Department and author of the concept behind many of the exhibitions presented at the ICC.

The exhibition at the ICC was conceived as a journey, both literal and spiritual, leading from his hometown of Hobița, through his studio in Paris – shown through the lens of the artist himself and in photographs by Man Ray and Edward Steichen – to his monumental works in Târgu Jiu and a return to his spiritual roots in the Carpathians. The exhibition space gradually reveals the successive stages of this journey, highlighting the places and experiences that were key to Brâncuși’s development. The Romanian artist’s photographic experiments are juxtaposed with the works of contemporary artists: Bogusław Bachorczyk, Maciek Bernaś, Bartek Buczek, Michał Sroka, Justyna Stasiowska and Bogdan Achimescu. Their works – installations, soundtracks, videos, reinterpretations of the studio – build a bridge between modernity and the contemporary, showing that Brâncuși’s philosophy remains alive and inspiring.

The exhibition is accompanied by a photobook with text by Doïna Lemny. The publication presents an even wider selection of photographs than the exhibition and constitutes its visual and substantive complement, as well as a permanent record of its key themes.

The exhibition “Brâncuși. Sculpting with Light” is complemented by a special programme of events, including lectures and meetings with Polish and foreign guests (including Doïna Lemny, Herta Müller, Ernest Wichner), film screenings, numerous guided tours and educational workshops.

The exhibition is co-organized by the International Cultural Centre in Krakow and the Romanian Cultural Institute in Warsaw.

The exhibition is part of the 2024-2025 Romania–Poland Cultural Season

The Romania–Poland Cultural Season 2024-2025 is organised by the Romanian Ministry of Culture and the Romanian Cultural Institute, together with the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with the support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest. During the season, several dozen events will take place, including exhibitions, music, theatre, film and literary events.

Co-organizer

Curatorial team

dr Doïna Lemny

Doctor of Art History, honorary conservator at the Pompidou Centre in Paris

Karolina Wójcik

Curator ICC

Curatorial team

dr Doïna Lemny

Doctor of Art History, honorary conservator at the Pompidou Centre in Paris

Doctor of Art History, honorary conservator at the Centre Pompidou: National Museum of Contemporary Art in Paris. She published Brâncusi’s archives: “L’Atelier Brâncusi. La Collection” (Paris 1997), “La Dation Brâncusi: dessins et archives” (Paris 2003) and the artist’s Romanian correspondence and workshop notes in the book “Brâncusi inedit” (Bucharest 2004). Between 1998 and 2002, she co-curated seven thematic exhibitions at Brâncusi’s studio. She was also responsible for the concepts behind the exhibitions “Brancusi: Sublimation of Forms” (2019–2020) and “Brancusi: Romanian Sources and Universal Perspectives” (Timișoara, 2023) and edited the catalogues accompanying these exhibitions. She is the author of numerous publications on the work of the Romanian artist and many essays on contemporary art, published in collective volumes.

Karolina Wójcik

Curator ICC

Curator at the International Cultural Centre, as well as head of the Exhibition Centre and author of the concept behind many exhibitions presented at the ICC.

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Preparation of the exhibition

ICC programme policy:
Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik, Marzena Daszewska, Łukasz Galusek

Curated by:
Doïna Lemny

Curatorial association:
Karolina Wójcik

The photographs on display come from the collections of
David Grob, Christian Reyntjens, Bruce Silverstein

Featured artists:
Constantin Brâncuși, Ion Miclea

Bogdan Achimescu, Bogusław Bachorczyk, Maciek Bernaś, Bartek Buczek, Marcu Iancu, Wayne Miller, Man Ray, Michał Sroka, Justyna Stasiowska, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz

Exhibition design:
Michał Sroka

Exhibition producers:
Magdalena Gacek, Dorota Kosiec

Coordination and Logistics:
Karolina Wójcik

Typesetting and arrangement of texts:
Anna Wisz

Exhibition soundtrack:
Justyna Stasiowska

Copyedited, translated from and into Polish, and proofread by:
Błażej Bauer

Installation and execution of the layout:
Art Industry Standard, F.H.U.P. FOREST Marcin Gubała, Emanuel Mróz, Jakub Wójtowicz

Lighting and multimedia:
Maciek Bernaś

Supervising conservator:
Ewa Pietrzyk

Polish Sign Language guide:
Jakub Studziński

Audio description:
Regina Mynarska, Dawid Górny

Typhlographs:
Malwina Antoniszczak

Collaboration:
Agnieszka Adamczak, Joanna Biegacz, Mateusz Bigaj, Małgorzata Bożek, Magdalena Grabias, Joanna Hojda-Pepaś, Robert Karwowski, Agata Klejzerowicz, Dorota Korohoda, Daniel Krawczyk, Paulina Małochleb, Antoni Michalik, Paulina Orłowska-Bańdo, Marcin Pańtak, Łukasz Pieróg, Paulina Roszak-Niemirska, Anna Sawłowicz, Paulina Semianchuk, Klaudia Słupek, Mariusz Soczówka

Photobook “Brâncuși. Sculpting with Light”:

Author of the texts

Doïna Lemny

Graphic design and DTP

Kuba Sowiński

Managing editor

Paulina Roszak-Niemirska

Translations

Marta Duda-Gryc

(z francuskiego na polski / from French into Polish)

Jessica Taylor-Kucia

(z polskiego na angielski / from Polish into English)

Edited by

Paulina Roszak-Niemirska

Proofread by

Aleksandra Łozińska, Jessica Taylor-Kucia,

Eduard Enache

Printed and bound by

Drukarnia Skleniarz

 

 

With the financial support of

This project is co-financed by the City of Kraków

Organisation, partnership, patronage

Organisation

Media patronage of the exhibition

 

 

 

 

Permanent media patronage

 

 

 

 

 

Special thanks would like to be extended to

Ovidiu Dajbog-Miron, Eduard Enache, Octavia Cornea, David Grob, Christian Reyntjens, Bruce Silverstein

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