Henryk Kuna
Encyclopedia
Henryk Kuna was a sculptor, active in the early twentieth century. His long career produced many famous works of arts including several renowned public monuments in his native country of Poland
.
in 1885 or possibly earlier (various sources give his year of birth as far back as 1879). Kuna studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
where he met fellow artists who would become lifelong friends. Many of them became deeply involved in Kuna's informal school of art known as Rytm (Rhythm). The group focused on the development of a Polish national style melding modernity with classicism.
Kuna was a well-established artist in his time. He was appointed, along with the artists Teodor Axentowicz
, Julian Fałat and others, to represent Poland at the XII Venice Biennale
in 1920. Kuna's fame flourished further with a well-received solo exhibition in London
two years later.
Kuna died in the northern city of Toruń
in 1945. He was interred in Warsaw's historic Powązki Cemetery
.
for the city of Vilnius
in the early 1930s. His work progressed on a number of bas reliefs, evocative of the romantic themes of Mickiewicz's writing, which were to surround the statue. When the Nazis invaded in 1939, the monument site was largely destroyed by a bomb, and under their occupation many of the bas reliefs were hauled off to a cemetery as paving stones.
A new sculpture by Gediminas Jokūbonis was unveiled in 1984 with Kuna's surviving bas reliefs emplaced around it. In the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, the site was a popular meeting place for political dissidents.
Kuna's most iconic work, the lifesize female nude Rytm (Rhythm, 1925), seemingly sways waterside in the Praga Południe district of Warsaw. Another female figure, Alina, stands amid a fountain at Stefan Żeromski Park
in the Żoliborz
district.
Among Kuna's other works are Jutrzenka (Daybreak, 1919); Rozowy marmur (Pink Marble, 1930); and Portraits of K.R Witkowski (1930).
In 1930, Kuna was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and, in 1935, the Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Academic Literature.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Life
Henryk Kuna was born to a Jewish family in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
in 1885 or possibly earlier (various sources give his year of birth as far back as 1879). Kuna studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
where he met fellow artists who would become lifelong friends. Many of them became deeply involved in Kuna's informal school of art known as Rytm (Rhythm). The group focused on the development of a Polish national style melding modernity with classicism.
Kuna was a well-established artist in his time. He was appointed, along with the artists Teodor Axentowicz
Teodor Axentowicz
Teodor Axentowicz was a Polish-Armenian painter and university professor. A renowned artist of his times, he was also the rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków...
, Julian Fałat and others, to represent Poland at the XII Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 1920. Kuna's fame flourished further with a well-received solo exhibition in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
two years later.
Kuna died in the northern city of Toruń
Torun
Toruń is an ancient city in northern Poland, on the Vistula River. Its population is more than 205,934 as of June 2009. Toruń is one of the oldest cities in Poland. The medieval old town of Toruń is the birthplace of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus....
in 1945. He was interred in Warsaw's historic Powązki Cemetery
Powazki Cemetery
Powązki Cemetery , also known as the Stare Powązki is a historic cemetery located in the Wola district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city, and one of the oldest...
.
Works
Kuna was chosen for a project to sculpt a statue of Polish national hero Adam MickiewiczAdam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
for the city of Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in the early 1930s. His work progressed on a number of bas reliefs, evocative of the romantic themes of Mickiewicz's writing, which were to surround the statue. When the Nazis invaded in 1939, the monument site was largely destroyed by a bomb, and under their occupation many of the bas reliefs were hauled off to a cemetery as paving stones.
A new sculpture by Gediminas Jokūbonis was unveiled in 1984 with Kuna's surviving bas reliefs emplaced around it. In the turbulent 1980s and 1990s, the site was a popular meeting place for political dissidents.
Kuna's most iconic work, the lifesize female nude Rytm (Rhythm, 1925), seemingly sways waterside in the Praga Południe district of Warsaw. Another female figure, Alina, stands amid a fountain at Stefan Żeromski Park
Stefan Zeromski
Stefan Żeromski was a Polish novelist and dramatist. He was called the "conscience of Polish literature". He also wrote under the pen names: Maurycy Zych, Józef Katerla and Stefan Iksmoreż.- Life :...
in the Żoliborz
Zoliborz
Żoliborz is one of the northern districts of the city of Warsaw. It is located directly to the north of the City Centre, on the left bank of the Vistula river. It has approximately 50,000 inhabitants and is one of the smallest boroughs of Warsaw....
district.
Among Kuna's other works are Jutrzenka (Daybreak, 1919); Rozowy marmur (Pink Marble, 1930); and Portraits of K.R Witkowski (1930).
In 1930, Kuna was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and, in 1935, the Golden Laurel of the Polish Academy of Academic Literature.