Józef Marek (1922, Bielsko-Biała – 2020, Kraków), "Oliviers aux beaux," 1990

Biography
He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, graduating in 1952 from the studio of Prof. Xawery Dunikowski. Since his debut at an art exhibition organized by the Kraków chapter of the Association of Polish Visual Artists in September 1952, he has actively participated in the art scene, taking part in several hundred exhibitions of Polish art both domestically and abroad, in most European countries, in Asia and the Americas. He also participated in numerous competitions for sculpture and monument designs. He was a member of the following artistic groups: MARG (an acronym for painters, architects, sculptors, and graphic artists) and Art International. From 1952 to 1983, he was a member of the Association of Polish Visual Artists; between 1970 and 1980, he was part of the Nowa Improwizacja group (whose members included musicians, actors, and visual artists), and from 1983 onward, he was a member of the Union of Sculptors. From 1952 to 1989, he served as an expert advisor to the Ministry of Culture and Art on matters of sculpture. From 1961 to 1971, he was an assistant, and later an assistant professor, at the Faculty of Architecture of the Kraków University of Technology; from 1965 to 1969, he was a lecturer at the Department of Industrial Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków; from 1971 to 1986, he was an associate professor at the Department of Interior Architecture, and from 1986 onward, he was a professor at his alma mater.