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The artist was born in 1930 in Warsaw, where he spent his entire life. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts (1956), he joined Warsaw’s artistic community, while maintaining his independence and following global trends rather than domestic ones.

 

A pivotal moment came during his stay in Paris in 1962, when he met André Breton, the Phases group, and other surrealists. French art at the time was shaped by attempts to come to terms with the trauma of war and the crisis of European culture. Movements such as the Nouvelle Réalité group (New Reality) embraced found materials, while many surrealists shifted from figuration to expressive abstraction. Although Makowski was fascinated by these new trends, he consistently created his own carefully constructed paintings – initially full of objects, and from the mid-1970s onwards also featuring human figures.

 

The 1960s were also a time when the artist developed his individual style, known as “romantic geometry,” combining surreal spaces inspired by Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978), a rich repertoire of symbols, and the intermingling of different cultures. Makowski's work fits into the postmodernist trend, drawing on the resources of the past – from literature and philosophy, through esotericism and religion, to Kabbalistic tradition and Jungian theories. He was inspired both by the old masters of painting and by everyday objects that he collected in his home.

 

Makowski built enigmatic worlds that invite viewers into a postmodern game of meanings. His paintings are riddles—provocative, unsettling, and gripping. They captivate through precise linework, intricate ornamentation, and refined color. Moving through these spaces, the viewer is never a passive observer, the works resonate with personal experience and memory. Despite having been created decades ago, they retain their striking freshness, contemporary sensibility, and openness.

 

Throughout his career, Makowski exhibited widely—over 100 solo shows and more than 200 group exhibitions, including in renowned galleries in Zurich, London, and Lausanne. He represented Poland at the 36th Venice Biennale in 1972 and received numerous awards, among them the C. K. Norwid Critics’ Prize and the Kazimierz Ostrowski Award, one of the most significant honors for Polish painters. He passed away on 19 August 2019 in Warsaw.

 _{Zbigniew Makowski (1930-2019), Rien, 1967, watercolor and ink on paper, 24 x 31 cm. Photo: Art & Modern Foundation}

 

The inclusiveness of Makowski's work became the starting point for an exhibition at the Art & Modern Foundation, which was also aimed at blind and visually impaired people. Alongside his works, typhlographics inspired by the artist's work and props from his studio were presented. The exhibition is also enriched by reliefs by Lidia Chmielewska (1932-2025), which enable the learning of perspective through touch.

Honorary patronage: Mayor of Warsaw’s Praga-North District

Curator: Magdalena Furmanik-Kowalska
Content Consultant: Stanisław Makowski
Exhibition Producer: Krzysztof Wejman