Art in Warsaw
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Art is with us everywhere we go when we walk around Warsaw. First of all, the architecture, which often shows an overall idea in the huge architectural projects that have emerged in the city after WWII. To name just a few of the most famous ones – the real socialism of Stalinism, which can be seen everywhere in the city centre, the rebuilt Old Town in Renaissance style, the almost toy-like Mariensztat, the high-rise buildings built after 1989 and the residential areas that have sprung up at different times, where you can almost feel history as you walk around and watch the evolution of styles.
Art can also be found in the many monuments in churches, and perhaps even more so in cemeteries, where enormous artistic and financial effort is often put into grave monuments.
Warsaw is also a big city when it comes to murals, especially if you take a look at the Praga part of the city.
“Give the child strength” – a gable mural at a kindergarten in Praga. Murals with social, political or advertising messages can be seen everywhere in the neighbourhood
And the city is filled with monuments, each one a work of art in its own right. Finally, the “national” romantic art treasure can be found in various castles, especially the Castle in Wilanów (Muzeum Pałacu Króla Jana III w Wilanowie) and the Royal Castle (Zamek Królewski) in the Old Town, where Canaletto’s depictions of Warsaw at the end of the 19th century are on display. Some of these are also displayed in replica glass cases along the approach road (Krakowskie Przedmieście) to the Old Town. And if you don’t want to stray too far from the city centre, the park behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier also offers an impressive collection of classically inspired sculptures.
The National Museum
– Al. Jerozolimskie 3. Metro Centrum or Nowy Świat Uniwersytet.
The National Museum is located in an imposing building on the de Gaulle Roundabout, right next to the old headquarters of the Communist Party, the White House.
The museum is a traditional national museum that contains a very broad collection of art and artefacts from antiquity through the Middle Ages and Renaissance to the present day. These are, of course, largely religiously inspired paintings and sculptures, with a special focus on the Middle Ages, emphasising the different Polish regions.
The largest exhibition consists of Polish painters from the 19th century. The style is very much in line with general European trends of the period, but of course it is also a time when nations were rediscovering their national identity, and this is evident in the images. Also on display are a few cityscapes from the 18th century court painter Canaletto.
Also worth mentioning here is the historical painter Matejko, whose painting “The Battle of Grunwald” (completed in 1878) is known to everyone in Poland. I’m not happy to show the photograph below, because the over 4 metre long photograph only comes into its own right when you see it in real life.
The Battle of Grunwald, Matejko, 1878
There is also a small exhibition of Polish handicrafts, which provides a panorama of developments over the last hundred years.
The National Museum of Poland in the evening
Temporary exhibitions. Here, for example, from the “Solstice” exhibition of Scandinavian art from November 2022 to 5 March 2023. The image shown is Jens Willumsen’s “Glassblowers in Hellerup Glassworks” from 1887.
The Poster Museum in Wilanów
(Muzeum Plakatu w Wilanowie) – Address: ul. Stanisława Kostki Potockiego 10/16. Bus 116 from Castle Square or on weekends from Plac Trzech Krzyży.
Some years ago Poland was known around the world for its original posters, and the National Museum has a special building with a collection of the most original Polish posters.
The museum is currently under renovation, so check the website to see if it has opened:
The Palace in Wilanów is also featured in “Forests and parks in Warsaw” as one of the city’s most beautiful parks. Inside the palace is an exhibition of Polish Renaissance paintings
It is located next to the Palace of Wilanów, where you can also see a collection of old paintings, the palace’s stunning gardens or have lunch in one of the area’s many restaurants. The large surrounding open-air recreational area is a popular destination for Warsaw’s citizens to enjoy a day off. It is also within walking distance of the Sanctuary of God’s Providence in Wilanów and the surrounding newly built residential area with identical residential buildings in long rows.
Królikarnia (Sculpture Museum)
Address: ul. Puławska 113a – Metro Wierzbno.
A few hundred years ago, Królikarnia – the rabbit breeding ground – was the king’s hunting ground and was later owned by art lovers and wealthy nobles.
The sculptures are scattered loosely across the park area – here heads of Poles from different cities
Today, the large park is home to an outdoor exhibition of sculptures in wildly different styles. Free outdoor access from sunrise to sunset, indoor exhibition Wednesday to Sunday.
The main building
Zachęta
– The National Art Gallery. Just behind the Saxon garden and Plac Piłsudski. Metro Świętokrzyska
The large art museum in the centre – here with an art installation and chairs for relaxing on the lawn in front of the museum
The National Gallery’s mission is to exhibit and promote contemporary art, both Polish and international. They also address heavy topics that confront the question of how Poles understand themselves.
Museum of Modern Art
(Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej) – Wybrzeże Kościuszkowskie 22
The modern art museum with a perfect riverside location
A branch of the State Museum of Modern Art, called the Museum on the Wisła River. It is located right next to the Copernicus Centre
Zamek Ujazdowski – Centre for Modern Art
Address: Jazdów 2 – 15 minutes on foot from Metro Politechnika
The old castle is now an art museum
The castle itself (Ujazdowski Castle) with the museum is a work of art in itself, as are the surroundings with the steep slope and the stream down to the river – next to the Botanical Garden and Łazienki Park. The exhibition itself has a bistro, while at the front of the castle (towards the river) you’ll find an excellent restaurant with experimental cuisine, Qchnia Artystyczna.
Qchnia Artystyczna (back of the castle) is an exciting restaurant with a bold menu – a great choice if you’ve been to an art exhibition
The view from Qchnia Artystyczna (terrace view)
The beautiful surroundings are flanked by a sometimes bold approach to the changing exhibitions on display at the castle.
Danish artist Kristian Hornsleth’s head was one of the main attractions at an exhibition of political art in 2021
Academy of Arts (Akademia Sztuk Pięknych). Address: Krakowskie Przedmieście 5. Metro Nowy Świat – Uniwersytet.
The Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw is located directly opposite the main entrance of the University. The university campus itself is definitely worth a visit, both to grasp the atmosphere, try the student canteen and see the grandiose mansions where Warsaw’s youth are receiving their knowledge.
But the opposite side of the street – the Academy of Fine Arts – provides just as much atmosphere, and sometimes there are a few works on display for free viewing.
Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts – a step to the side as you walk through the Krakowskie Przedmieście street leading to or from the Castle Square
The Academy’s collection of works by former students can be viewed online at:
Galeria Foksal
Galeria Foksal is a small gallery located on one of Warsaw’s most elegant streets, Foksal, a street you should not avoid, if you like food, beer and entertainment. In addition, the street is a must-see if you like architecture.
The gallery is located in a side building of the Zamoyski mansion, which marks the end of the street. It is a non-profit gallery owned by a foundation and exhibits predominantly avant-garde works of art.
New museum by the Palace of Culture
Metro Centrum
The Ministry of Culture is currently about to lay the last hand on a new museum of modern art right next to the Palace of Culture in Warsaw. It will be a 20,000 square metres split between four floors on Warsaw’s best location – an investment intended to create a new generation of art interested citizens, who will find it difficult to avoid the new museum.
The new Museum of Modern Art next to the Palace of Culture in Warsaw – under construction
Thorvaldsen in Warsaw.
Danish-Icelandic sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) visited Warsaw in 1820, where he was commissioned to create a statue of the freedom hero Prince Poniatowski and the medieval astronomer Copernicus.
Poniatowski today stands in front of the Presidential Palace in the centre of Warsaw (Krakowskie Przedmieście 48/50), while Kopernikus is placed a few hundred metres down the street in front of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) (Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28).
Thorvaldsen’s statue of Poniatowski in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw
Thorvaldsen also made the sketch for a monument to Stanisław Małachowski, who was chairman of the parliament 1788-1792 and one of the creators of the modern Polish constitution of 1791. Today, the monument can be seen in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist (Świętojańska 8).
Please send an email to m@hardenfelt.pl if you would like a English-speaking tour guide to show you the most important places in Warsaw.