“Elementarz polskiej kultury” [The Handbook of Polish Culture]

DESIGN: Anna Niemierko

THE MANUFACTURER’S NAME: Wytwórnia

must have 2021

“Elementarz polskiej kultury” [The Handbook of Polish Culture] by Ewa Solarz, Karol Szafraniec and Małgorzata Miśkowiec is an artistic and educational publication aimed to highlight the unique place held by the Polish creators on the map of global culture throughout the last century. The book presents forty-four works created after 1918, which gained international fame, are representative for the artist and simply worth knowing. It provides hints on the artists that are worthy of attention, information about the circumstances in which their major works were created and why the presented works have been influencing the global culture ever since.

They have been divided into eleven culture areas, including literature, graphic design, painting, film, classical music, theatre, jazz, sculpture, photography, architecture and new technologies, with the last category represented by four works.

The selection made by the authors is subjective and incomplete but it encourages the discussion about Polish art, and challenging and appreciation of its achievements.

Forty-four outstanding works were interpreted in the book by eleven contemporary illustrators. Their graphic comment on the past represents the contemporary approach to the important and inspiring aspects of our culture and its openness to the world.

Graphic design: Anna Niemierko

Illustrations: Basia Flores, Ola Jasionowska, Igor Kubik, Karolina Lubaszko, Julia Mirny, Małgorzata Nowak, Tomasz Opaliński, Urszula Palusińska, Tin Boy, Marta Tomiak, and Łukasz Zbieranowski