Emancipated woman. Polish Art Déco in ceramicsThe 1920s and 1930s were a time of intense modernisation in Poland, increasingly rapid cultural change and the introduction of new models of civilisation. One manifestation of modernity was the development of new fields of art such as film and photography, which was keen to address modern emancipated women and the changing private and professional position of women in society. These transformations were illustrated and stimulated in both literature and art. In the 1920s, Apolonia Chałupiec, born in Lipno, Kuyavia, became the model of an emancipated woman, known to the world as Pola Negri. She was imitated by other Polish actresses Hanka Ordonówna or Jadwiga Smosarska. The cinematic icons of emancipated women were popularised not only by film posters and colour magazines, but also by painting and sculpture.Famous and celebrated actresses, singers and showgirls became the ideal women. As part of her contract with the Berlin film studio “Saturn”, Pola Negri had to dress a certain way, stand out by her behaviour and even walk with tigers. For other women, the actresses and dancers were becoming an inspiration for change. Women liberated from old superstitions knew how to take their fate courageously into their own hands. They became a metaphor for emancipation, lifestyle change and freedom of customs. Among other things, emancipation could be seen in the changing clothes, hairstyles and make-up, not to mention the lack of clothes.An area of creativity that was readily used to promote new civilisational designs was ceramics, including porcelain and faience. In Poland, the most important 20th-century Polish ceramics factories in Ćmielów in northern Małopolska and Pacyków near Stanisławów in the eastern areas of the Second Polish Republic eagerly adopted these new models of femininity. Different female role models were presented: elegant, alluring, partying and dancing. Not only were the increasingly skimpy outfits an expression of liberation: first the ankles and calves were shown, then the thighs, and finally the entire naked bodies of ballerinas, showgirls and odalisques dressed in alluring gowns. A period that was particularly keen on models of emancipated women was art déco. The depictions of emancipated and liberated women were invented and popularised by the Romanian artist Demétre Chiparus, and later on they enthralled the whole of Europe and America and were also popularised in Poland and presented in painting, sculpture and graphics.As an illustration of the changing role of women and the application of new artistic currents, a dozen faience figures were selected from the Polish Faience Factory in Pacyków, which operated in 1912-39 near Stanisławów (now Ivano-Frankivsk) in the eastern part of the Second Polish Republic. Pacyków's products were exported to other countries and sold throughout Galicia, Austria and elsewhere. In the 1920s and 1930s, the factory’s representative offices were located in many cities, such as Berlin, Paris, London, New York and even Tunis in Africa. Owing to its own network of agents, Pacyków’s products were also sold throughout Poland. They became a symbol of modernity and luxury. This is why, for many years, products from Pacyków have been exhibited at numerous Polish art exhibitions, and the works from the factory are included in all Polish studies on ceramics. The objects presented, which range in size from 25 cm to 80 cm, are similar in style. They date from the 1920s and 1930s and are being presented for the first time in this combination in Poland. They are distinguished by their very high artistic class, equal to the best Western European products. The objects on show are the equivalent of analogous ceramic work in Austria, Germany and France. The Art Déco style of the figures is an excellent example of avant-garde Polish design of the inter-war years. These are the most outstanding works from this period in Poland of high artistic quality, absolutely unique, as they have survived only in single copies. The characteristic figure of a waking woman (“Pyjamas”) on display at the exhibition was chosen as the logo for the presentation of Polish art déco during the prestigious Europalia exhibition in Brussels (5 October – 25 November 2001) and was featured on posters celebrating the anniversary of Poland's accession to the European Union. The models for the works on display were mostly created by the Viennese artist Wilhelm Thomasch (1893-1964), who was active in Austria and Poland and in the 1920s and 1930s created models for the Polish Faience Factory in Pacyków. Wilhelm Thomasch is widely regarded as one of the best ceramic model makers of the time, who modernised Polish, Austrian and German ceramics. As an illustration of the equivalent level of Polish ceramics from this period, the Fascination model by the aforementioned Wilhelm Thomasch, produced at the Austrian Goldscheider factory, and Bacchant by Stanisław Czapek, who also created at the factory in Pacyków, are shown.The aim of the exhibition is to popularise the little-known achievements of the early days of Polish design, while also showing the new role of women in Art Déco. The figures shown represent modern and liberated women who work, read, relax, but also have fun enjoying life. At the same time, these works, being the most outstanding creations of Polish design, occupy a permanent place in the history of Polish art of the first half of the 20th century.Author: prof. Ph.D. Jakub Lewicki___________Exhibition duration: March 8 – April 7, 2024Curators: Ph.D. Małgorzata Korpała, prof. Ph.D. Jakub Lewicki, Agnieszka Bebłowska Bednarkiewicz / NCKDesigner: Rafał Koliński3D printing: Antoni WrzosekProduction: Kontra Pracownia PlastycznaPhotos of faience figurines: dr hab. Małgorzata KorpałaExhibition photos: Grzegorz KarkoszkaCuratorial tours: March 15, 2024 at 17:00 guided tour by prof. Ph.D. Jakub Lewicki, March 22, 2024 at 17:00 guided tour by dr hab. Małgorzata Korpała, 5/04/2024 from 16:00 to 19:00 guided tours by Agnieszka Bebłowska BednarkiewiczOrganizers: National Center for Culture, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage