grafika

Wroclaw: Muzeum Slaskie, 1968. First Edition. 60 pp., with an Introduction and catalogue notes (in Polish) by Stanislaw Pasternak. 67 illustrations by Gielniak, including one fold out. Presumably in a printing of 500 copies. Pictorial softcover, with Gielniak’s last name written on spine. Overall about VG, with soiling and discoloration and a crease on front cover, with light musty odor.INSCRIBED on the ffep in French by the author and artist Gielniak. Gielniak (1932-1972) was a famed Polish graphic artist known for his linocuts, whose style is similar to that of Escher. He was active from 1956 until his death, making only 68 works (15 of which were bookplates). Born in France to Polish immigrants, Gielniak studied briefly at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts after World War II, and in 1959, he won first prize at the National Exhibition of Graphic Art and Drawing in Warsaw. From 1953 until his death, Gielniak was treated for tuberculosis at the Bukowiec Sanatorium in Poland, which figured significantly in his work. A truly scarce piece, particularly signed, not found in auction records or in commerce, and only 2 found in OCLC, although none in U.S. holdings.