The Kosciuszko Foundation in New York is set to present “The Real Within: A New Generation of Polish Realism,” a group exhibition featuring works by eight contemporary Polish painters. The exhibition, which marks the centennial of the Foundation’s activities, aims to highlight the ongoing evolution and relevance of Polish realism in contemporary art.
The showcase brings together artists who engage with realist figuration, expanding its emotional and mystical possibilities while refining techniques of image-making. These contemporary works are characterized by their imaginative and precise approach to pictorialism, producing figures, portraits, landscapes, and still lifes that diverge from both Photorealism and Surrealism.
Participating artists include Katarzyna Adamiak-Jaśnikowska, Eva Evangelista, Agnieszka Kotarska, Jakub Podlodowski, Ewa Pronczuk-Kuziak, Daria Solar, Katarzyna Widmańska, and Anna Wypych. Their interpretations of realism are described as free from nostalgia, offering a fresh, immediate perspective that resonates with the current zeitgeist.
The exhibition is curated to demonstrate how these artists continue the tradition of Polish realism, known for its technical mastery and deep emotional resonance. The contemporary works will be presented alongside the Foundation’s permanent collection, which houses masterpieces by 19th-century Polish luminaries, providing a context for the ongoing development of this artistic tradition.
Of note, works by all eight artists featured in the exhibition have been included in The Lunar Codex, an archive of contemporary art, literature, music, poetry, and film launched to the Moon via NASA’s Artemis program.
The Kosciuszko Foundation, founded in 1925, is a national not-for-profit, nonpartisan, and nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to promote educational and cultural exchange between the United States and Poland, fostering greater American understanding of Polish culture and history. The Foundation operates through its headquarters in New York City, its Washington, D.C. Center, and regional chapters across the United States.
“The Real Within: A New Generation of Polish Realism” will be on display from March 20 to June 30, 2025, at The Kosciuszko Foundation, located at 15 East 65th Street in New York. The exhibition will be open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on national holidays. Admission is free.
