Temporary exhibitions in 2021

Current topics, challenges of the future and restoring history – this is what we chose to plan for our temporary exhibitions in 2021. They will be an opportunity to get to know the history of the city through the prism of contemporary challenges.

At the Museum of Warsaw and our branches we will tell the story of women’s domestic work, consider the topic of ecology, and look at the city’s greenery and our relationship with animals. In The Praga Museum of Warsaw, we will see the district during the times of communism and we will show the story of an innovative toy manufacturer.

Animals in Warsaw. On The Trail of Relationships

Museum of Warsaw, 12 May 12 – 3 October 2021

Photo of the horse on the ground — *Powiśle, photo by Konrad Brandel, circa 1892, Museum of Warsaw, AF 13377*

Despite the fact that in the city we share space with several thousand species, we do not notice our non-human fellow citizens on a daily basis. This exhibition will be an opportunity to take up the topic of the constant and numerous presence of animals in Warsaw.

Based on testimonies from different eras, we will tell you about the changing human-animal relationships. For centuries, animals have been bred here for prestige and entertainment, treated as raw material, or used as labor. We take care of our domestic companions, we are afraid of intruders, we keep watch on wild species that have found favorable living conditions in the city and are our natural neighbors. The exhibition and accompanying program will encourage reflection and a broader look at the relationships we keep with the animals in our city. More information.

GREENER AND GREENER! ALINA SCHOLTZ’S PROJECTS

The Wola Museum of Warsaw, 16 June – 28 November, 2021

Zdjęcie czarno-białe — *Fountain in the Central Park of Culture and Recreation in Warsaw, photo by Zbyszko Siemaszko, 1955, National Digital Archives, NAC 51-860-2*

Before World War II, Warsaw was one of the most densely built-up cities in the world. After the War it turned into a green capital. Alina Scholtz, a pioneer of landscape architecture in Poland and the protagonist of the exhibition, was behind the designs of many green areas created during the reconstruction of parks, squares and gardens.

Scholtz, the manager of the Greenery Studio at the Warsaw Reconstruction Office and creator of parks and greenery surrounding new housing estates, such as the Szwoleżerów housing estate or Sady Żoliborskie, is an example of a modern-minded woman with a vision. We will present her projects which still inspire us to look for solutions to the environmental, urban and climatic challenges we face today. More information.

PRAGA DISTRICT IN ’70. PHOTOS OF ALBERT KRYSTYNIAK

The Praga Museum of Warsaw, 14 July – 4 October 2021

*Różycki’s Bazaar, photo by Albert Krystyniak, 1973-75, Museum of Warsaw, AN 103225*

Praga, communism and the time of the district’s slow reconstruction. Albert Krystyniak (1939), associated with the photographic group “Fakt”, leads us through yards and along side streets.

In several dozen black and white photographs we can see architecture and its details, but also an ambiguous portrait of the community living “at home”. The series closes with photos showing newly built residential buildings, often contrasted with views of old Praga structures being demolished or still inhabited. More information.

INVISIBLE. STORIES OF WARSAW SERVANTS

Museum of Warsaw, 17 November 2021 – 20 March 2022

*Servant – from a series of characteristic Warsaw types, photo by Walerian Twardzicki, 1890s, Museum of Warsaw, AF 18583*

This exhibition gives a voice to domestic workers who have operated in the background of everyday life in Warsaw for decades.

It is a story about servants “for everything”, most willingly employed in middle-class homes. We will present the standards of their work and the scope of their duties, relations between the service and the “state”, living conditions, and private life. The project, which also includes a lengthy publication, stretches back to modern times and raises questions about domestic work today. More information.

THINGS FOR FUN. Edward Manitius and his workshop

The Praga Museum of Warsaw, 1 December 2021–20 March 2022

*Dog, Edward Manitius, 1926-39, Museum of Warsaw, MHW 30799 / a-b*

Since the 1920s, unusual items have been produced in a toy factory in Praga. Designed by Edward Manitus, these multi-functional, creative toys, school aids and advertising novelties for companies were distinguished by innovation and quality of workmanship.

To this day, they delight with wooden animals, which are also packaging or puzzles stimulating the imagination. The exhibition will be the first presentation of the largest collection of works and memorabilia of Edward Manitius in Poland. It will also feature contemporary toys inspired by his designs made by students of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. More information.