The color of the year 2020 according to the Pantone Institute - Classic Blue, or the shade of the sky at dusk, has become the inspiration for the first exhibition in Poland dedicated to just one color. The blue exhibition, which will feature nearly ninety works by Stefan Gierowski, Wojciech Fangor and Henryk Stażewski, among others, will last just a few days - from May 18 to 28 at the DESA Unicum auction house.
The Pantone Institute has been selecting the color of the year since 1999. Each time it becomes the most fashionable inspiration, and it was no different with this year's shade - color 19-4052 Classic Blue. However, for art, the color blue has always been important. What's more, according to market analyses, it is the color that has one of the highest translations into artwork prices, and according to surveys, more than 80 percent of people indicate blue as one of their favorites. Many artists have also made blue their trademark - Yves Klein created its own shade, International Klein Blue, which has become almost iconic. "Blue" period of painting can also be found in the works of the most prominent modern artists like Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. For the former it was a way to express emotions, for the latter it reflected sadness and melancholy.
The "Classic Blue" exhibition, prepared by DESA Unicum, features works by artists for whom blue was an exceptional color, but also those who used it in only a few works, making them unique. Among the works on display will be "Image DCCLXXIII" by Stefan Gierowski, one of the most important figures in the modern history of Polish art. His work focused on exploring the phenomenon of the painting, focusing mainly on its formal content, particularly color and light. In the work shown at the exhibition, the artist focuses on four shades of blue, and his painting, the more one looks at it, seems to hypnotize the viewer.
Stefan Gierowski "Image DCCLXXIII"
© DESA Unicum
Zygmunt Józef Menkes took a different look at the shade of blue. His work "Youth (Boy with Pigeons)" is saturated with what constitutes the quality and recognizability of the outstanding painter's art - color. Color plays a central role in the artist's work, and Menkes himself is considered one of the most outstanding colorists of our time. Among the paintings in the "Classic Blue" exhibition will be works by Wojciech Fangor, Leon Tarasewicz, Julian Stanczak, Victor Vasarely and Henryk Stażewski, among others.
Wojciech Fangor "Blue 3," 1961
© DESA Unicum
The exhibition also features sculptural works, including "Marx has no God" by Krzysztof Bednarski and Pawel Susid, and posters, works by Tadeusz Gronowski, Henryk Tomaszewski and Jan Lenica, among others. There will also be designer furniture (including an armchair by Janina Jędrachowicz and Konrad Racinowski, or classic tables from the ŁAD Artists' Cooperative, in a new version withblue tops), lighting as well as glass and ceramics, including "Cyntia" vases by Zbigniew Horbowy, vases by Stefania and Zygmunt Flin, or decorative platters by Zdzisław Szyszka.
Zbigniew Horbowy, vase from the Cyntia set 1970s, "Sudety" Glassworks in Szczytna Śląska.
© DESA Unicum
The exhibition will conclude with an auction. On May 28 at 8:30 pm it will be possible to bid on all objects both online, via the website or app, and by phone and standing order. The auction will be broadcast live on DESA Unicum auction house's social media channels. Until then, the exhibition can be viewed both at DESA Unicum headquarters and online in 3D.
