Mieczyslaw Wasilewski
Wasilewski is a graphic designer, illustrator and one of the first artists from the Polish School of Posters. We had the absolute pleasure and privilege to recently visit Mieczyslaw Wasilewski at his studio in Warsaw, and you could not imagine a warmer, more charming, or inspirational soul. the world.
He draws a lot - capturing everyday life with his family and friends in sketches made mostly with paintbrush and ink.
“The secret of my technique consists in rejecting bad things that come up on the way.”
About Mieczyslaw Wasilewski
Mieczyslaw Wasilewski, or Mietek as he likes to be called, was born in Warsaw on New Year’s day in 1942 and studied at the department for painting and graphic design at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts under one of the founding fathers of the Polish School of Posters Prof. Henryk Tomaszewski.
When Wasilewski graduated he became Tomaszewski’s studio assistant and continued to work with him for almost twenty years. When Tomaszewski retired he took over running the studio and has lectured in some of the best design schools around the world. In 1990 Wasilewski was awarded a professorship.
Tomaszewski taught Wasilewski to think about poster design intellectually - it is the idea which grabs you, not the sensationalism of the image. His work is minimalist and often monochrome using painterly lines. Wasilewski takes out all that is not important; leaving beautifully succinct compositions with plenty of space.
Wasilewski is a truth seeker who doesn’t like to take himself too seriously - his iconic anti-war poster inspired by the Shakespearian quote ‘to be (w)ar not to be’, designed in 1975 is one of our favourite pieces. The impact of the typographic ‘Bridge Over the River Kwai’ design is similarly striking.
Mieczyslaw Wasilewski has received many awards for his poster design and his work has been displayed in private shows and exhibitions around the world.
Solo Exhibitions
1973 – Regional Museum, Kalisz
1978 – Poster Museum, Wilanów, Warsaw
1989 – Galerie Hochschule für Gestaltung, Offenbach / Frankfurt (Main)
1993 – Pokaz Critics' Gallery, Warsaw
2005 – Mieczysław Wasilewski, DK Zacisze Gallery, Warsaw
2009 – The First Instalment of the Włodek Orzeł Poster Gallery Collection, Schody Gallery, Warsaw
Further Reading
This is a wonderful article about Mieczyslaw Wasilewski from Culture.pl
Some more artists you might like…
