Abramowicz, Bronisław

Abramowicz, Bronisław, Polish painter, member of the “Munich School”. 1865-67: student at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich. *1837 Załuchów (Wolhynia), †17.7.1912 Cracow. 1857-61: studies at the School of Fine Arts in Warsaw/Szkoła Sztuk Pięknych w Warszawie. 1863: takes part in the January Uprising as an adjutant of the independence fighter, Marian Langiewicz. On the 28.3.1865 he enrols in the antiquity class at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. 1867: completes his portrait of King Ludwig II of Bavaria. He earns a living from retouching and colouring photographs. 1870-74: studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. From 1871 he is a member of the Vienna Artists’ House. There is no official document to mark his final studies at the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts/Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Krakowie in the master class led by Jan Matejko (1838-1893). 1876: he is made an honorary member of the Vienna Art Club for his painting “The Banquet near Wierzynek”. Abramowicz mostly paints detailed motifs from Polish history in cool, smooth colours: in addition, religious scenes, genre, hunting and forest motifs, figures in traditional costumes and portraits. In later years he restores paintings and sculptures, including the choir stalls in St Mary’s church, the wings of the triptych in the St. Ägidius church and the picture of the Mother of Sorrows in the Franciscan church, all in Cracow. His works can be found in the National Museum in Cracow/Muzeum Narodowe w Krakowie and in the National Museum in Poznan/Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu.

Group exhibitions: 1867 Munich, Kunstverein / 1868-1901 Cracow, Society of the Friends of the Fine Arts/Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Sztuk Pięknych w Krakowie / 1871, 1877 Lemberg/Lwów / 1872-78 Warsaw, Zachęta / 1871, 1873, 1876, 1877 Vienna, International Art Exhibition.

Further Reading: Saur Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon, vol. 1, Munich/Leipzig 1992, p. 174; Halina Stępień/Maria Liczbińska: Artyści polscy w środowisku monachijskim w latach 1828-1914. Materiały źródłowe, Warsaw 1994, p. 8, 27

Online: Matriculation data base, Matriculation book 2, Academy of Fine Arts Munich, 02139 Bronislaw Abramowiez (sic!), http://matrikel.adbk.de/matrikel/mb_1841-1884/jahr_1865/matrikel-02139

Axel Feuß, March 2017