Introduction
What does a painter do? Patrycja Sikora Wojciech Pukocz
Eugeniusz Geppert, Starzawa, 1930
The idea of the Geppert Competition, combined with the presentation of all its works in the form of a collective exhibition, came into being in 1989 and was initiated by the teaching staff of the Higher School of Visual Arts, art critics from Wrocław and Hanna Krzetuska – the late Eugeniusz Geppert’s wife. He was a painter and professor, eminent art teacher, one of the founders and first rector of what is today the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. Back then, the aim of the contest for young painters was promoting talented art graduates on the one hand, and commemorating its patron, an exceptional Wrocław personality, on the other. Professor Geppert was a truly historic figure in Wrocław’s artistic circles, which were formed practically from scratch in those early postwar times. Before Eugeniusz Geppert arrived here in 1946 from Cracow, he had been a student in Jacek Malczewski’s studio.1 He later became himself a teacher and mentor of the whole generation of professors in Wrocław, so famous for their open attitude towards all kinds of painting experiments. Today, he is not only the patron of the painting competition, but also of the Academy itself, an ASP foundation, and an art gallery situated in Geppert’s flat/studio in the former Rybisch House. After the first edition of the Geppert Competition finished in spring 1989, the organizers were hoping the idea would survive, helping promote young painters in the new Polish democracy. And that was exactly what happened. The contest, at first aiming to support art graduates from Wrocław, was gradually gaining in significance, to become an important all-Polish event presenting the whole panorama of young painting two decades later. The competition, co-organized by Wrocław’s Academy of Fine Arts and BWA Wrocław Galleries of Contemporary Art, has finally evolved to become a review of selected works held on a biennial basis. The distinguishing feature among other such competitions in Poland is its exclusivity based on the multistage selection of admitted participants.
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1O. KONKURSU GEPPERTA ——— CO ROBI MALARZ?
It also limits the entrants to those within the maximum of three years after graduation, which means that only artists who begin their solo careers can qualify. For such artists, the competition is often the first real confirmation of the value of their work, a turning point which encourages them to further develop their talent. The Board of Experts, with its members alternating since 2009, ensures the selection by nominating the contestants first, and then narrowing them down to the 25 most interesting artists whose works are presented in the exhibition. This year’s Board of Experts, invited to select the participants of the 10th edition of the competition, was composed of 16 distinguished art teachers, critics and curators from all over the country. The choice was not easy – the two-day deliberations turned out to be quite emotional. In the last stage, the Jury assesses the competition works and awards the prizes, traditionally funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Mayor of Wrocław, Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław, and the Director of Wrocław’s BWA. The overall prize value, currently 60,000 zloties, is among the highest offered in competitions promoting contemporary art in Poland. The 1Oth Geppert Competition is entitled “What does a painter do?” The theme question may be understood in a variety of ways: what do the painters of the youngest generation do (and is it really painting)? What are their interests and fascinations? How do they exploit the painting medium? How do they define painting? It seems that everybody is looking for good answers here, not only the jurors, critics or curators, but also – and perhaps most of all – the audiences coming to see the contest exhibition. In fact, the theme is universal, just as the titles of the previous editions were. For over two decades now, we have been either secretly or quite openly awaiting artistic declarations which would let us draw nearer to some absolute truth in this artistic genre, touching the throbbing pulse of a new, unidentified, hitherto unknown phenomenon. Wouldn’t
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WSTĘP