Włodek Orzeł Poster Gallery
from March 2009 cofunded Polish Poster Gallery in BUW, The University of Warsaw Library

Galeria plakatu Plac na Rozdrożu, Polplakat

The Poster Gallery, known also as "Polplakat" was opened by Wlodek Orzel in 1993. It settled down in a desolate underground passage "Plac na Rozdrożu" and filled the place with vivid posters. That is how the one and only street gallery of Polish posters came into existence. There, the poster art was exposed to the passers-by, as it used to be during the golden years of Polish poster. In March 2009 the Gallery was cofounded Polish Poster Gallery, BUW at The University of Warsaw Library.

The gallery is founded on the collection started in 1981. It includes posters dating back to 1945. The total number of posters, which constitute the collection is about 7000 different titles organised according to their authors and described in the catalogue.

The most frequently represented artist are Waldemar Świerzy (about 600 posters), Andrzej Pągowski (about 400 artworks), Jan Młodożeniec (250), Jerzy Czerniawski (200), Roman Kalarus (150), Wiktor Sadowski (150), Henryk Tomaszewski (150), Wiesław Wałkuski.

Polish School of Posters

Full flower of the Polish School of Posters took place from early 1950s to mid 1960s. Precursors of Polish School of Posters Józef Mroszczak and Henryk Tomaszewski lead departament of poster at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. The most important representants of the Polish School of Posters was also: Tadeusz Trepkowski, Eryk Lipiński, Roman Cieślewicz, Jan Lenica, Jan Młodożeniec, Franciszek Starowieyski, Waldemar Świerzy, Walerian Borowczyk, Wojciech Zamecznik, Wojciech Fangor, Julian Pałka, Marian Stachurski, Wiktor Górka, Rosław Szaybo, Maciej Hibner, Tadeusz Jodłowski, Maciej Urbaniec, Jerzy Treutler, Leszek Hołdanowicz, Marek Mosiński, Witold Janowski, Mieczysław Wasilewski and Andrzej Krajewski.

Polish poster gained great popularity in 1970s and 1980s with new generation of esteemed artists, e.g.: Andrzej Pągowski, Rafał Olbiński, Wiesław Wałkuski, Wiktor Sadowski, Jerzy Czerniawski, Stasys Eidrigevicius, Jan Jaromir Aleksiun, Eugeniusz Get-Stankiewicz, Jan Sawka, Lech Majewski, Mieczysław Górowski, Grzegorz Marszałek, Roman Kalarus, Eugeniusz Skorwider, Lex Drewinski and Władysław Pluta.

At the turn of XX and XXI century there are new creators, e.g.: Piotr Młodożeniec, Sebastian Kubica, Ryszard Kaja, Michał Sitek, Monika Starowicz, Sławomir Śląski, Jacek Ćwikła, Stefan Lechwar, Michał Batory, Ryszard Kajzer, Maja Wolna, Leszek Żebrowski, Mirosław Adamczyk, Maks Bereski and Marek Maciejczyk.

Basing on the collection, it is possible to organise thematic exhibitions and the exhibitions devoted to one author. "Polplakat" cooperates with other art galleries and cultural institutions in Poland and abroad.