Bolesław Pacanowski’s works in the POLIN Museum collection

The POLIN Museum collection has been enriched with the works of sculptor and stage designer Bolesław (Beniamin) Pacanowski (1901-1977).

The collection of Pacanowski’s artworks is a testament to the continuity of Jewish art in Poland after the Second World War and the Holocaust. Its cultural, artistic and historical significance lies in its links to the interwar tradition of Jewish art through focusing on motifs taken from the religious tradition, from Jewish culture (“Portrait of Mendele Mocher Sforim”), from Jewish life (“Jewish musicians”) and referring to the “Jewish” technique of metal forging. Metalwork, Pacanowski’s genre of choice, boasts a long tradition in the history of Polish-Jewish arts and crafts. 
The unique set of stage design projects was developed by Pacanowski in the years 1950-1951 for the performances of the E. R. Kamińska Jewish State Theatre in Łódź.
  
This representative collection of Bolesław Pacanowski’s works was acquired to enrich the POLIN Museum collection thanks to a grant provided by the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland.