Kazimierz MIKULSKI (1918–1998), THE SHADOW OF A CAT IN THE MYSTERY ON THE HILL

Drawing, ink on paper, 31 x 23.2 cm,
signed lower right: K. Mikulski 1997.



Kazimierz MIKULSKI ( 1918–1998)
Painter, actor, director, set designer. Beginning in 1938, he studied painting at the Kraków Academy under Paweł Dadlez and Kazimierz Sichulski. Later, during the occupation, he continued his studies at the officially operating Kunstgewerbeschule under the guidance of Fryderyk Pautsch. After the war, in 1945–46, he studied acting and directing at the Drama Studio at the Stary Theater in Kraków. Shortly after liberation, he was a member of the Young Artists’ Group, and in 1957 he joined the Kraków Group, which had been reactivated at that time. Like other artists associated with both groups—and above all with their leader, Tadeusz Kantor—he participated in exhibitions of modern art (Kraków 1948–49, Warsaw 1957 and 1959). For many years, he collaborated with the “Cricot 2” theater. From 1948 to 1979, he worked as a set designer and artistic director at the “Groteska” State Puppet and Mask Theater in Kraków. In his work, he explored abstract themes as well as metaphorical and surrealist painting, becoming one of the most recognized representatives of this movement in Poland. The artist’s works are held in museum and private collections in Poland and abroad.