Young Poland exhibition at William Morris Gallery

The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow, London, will present a major exhibition on the decorative arts and architecture of Young Poland (Młoda Polska).

The movement flourished between 1890 and 1918 in response to the country’s non-existence for almost a century. Bringing together over 150 works, most of which have never travelled outside of Poland before, the exhibition will introduce a British audience to the movement for the first time.

It will also be the first anywhere in the world to position Young Poland as an Arts & Crafts movement and will reveal the movement’s strong stylistic and philosophical affinities with the work of William Morris and John Ruskin in Britain.

The exhibition will focus on the movement’s foremost figure Stanisław Wyspiański – the Polish counterpart to William Morris, as the two artists shared a firm belief in the equality of fine and decorative arts – and will also explore the Zakopane style of architecture that flourished in the foothills of the Tatra Mountains.

Works on show will span textiles, furniture, stained glass, architecture, woodcarvings, ceramics and paper cuttings, as well as paintings and illustration.

The exhibition takes place from October 9, 2021 – January 30, 2022.