Dimensions: 24 x 36 cm
Signed and dated within the composition: 'JChrista 81'
printing notes on the reverse
Provenance
Wojtek Łowicki’s Comic Gallery
Bibliography
"Świat Młodych," 1982
1st ed., National Publishing Agency, 1984
2nd ed., National Publishing Agency, 1988
3rd ed., Egmont, 2003
Biography
The artist was born in Vilnius to a family of Austrian descent and had been an avid reader of comic books since childhood. When war broke out, he moved with his family to Poland and spent his school years in Sopot. Fascinated by the French magazine *Vaillant*, he collected and traced Western comic books—he was also involved in music. He began his career as a cartoonist in 1956 as an illustrator for the magazine *Jazz*, where he published satirical illustrations inspired by Walt Disney. Christa’s first original comic—the “Kuku Ryku” series—was published in the weekly “Przygoda.” In 1958, his drawings appeared in “Głos Wybrzeża,” *Nowa Wieś*, and *Wieczór Wybrzeża*—the western series *Jack O’Key* published there became the prototype for *The Extraordinary Adventures of Kajtek-Majtek* (1958). In 1961, a second character joined Kajtek, and the series was renamed *The Adventures of Kajtek and Kok*—in just four years, Christa created 1,270 episodes. Starting in 1972, the series evolved into a new story titled *Kajko and Kokosz*, which debuted in *Wieczór Wybrzeża* and continued in *Świat Młodych*. In addition to this well-known series, Christa also created illustrations for maritime stories in the monthly magazine *Morze* (1959–60), series of satirical drawings in *Tygodnik Morski* (1960–1961) and *Przekrój* (1972–1973), as well as comic strips for the magazine *Relax* (1976–1981), such as *Fairy Tales for Adults* and *The Earthworm*. After “Relax” ceased publication, Christa returned to the “Kajko and Kokosz” series, which the National Publishing Agency began releasing as comic books with a print run of as many as 400,000 pieces. At the height of his career, in 1989, Christa ceased creating comics due to health issues, limiting himself to occasional illustration work. He received the Silver Medal “Gloria Artis—Meritorious to Culture” (2007) and the Mayor of Gdańsk Award in the Field of Culture. The artist passed away on November 15, 2008, and since 2014, the “Kreska” Foundation, founded by his granddaughter, Paulina Christa, has been awarding the Janusz Christa “Golden Cup” Award for outstanding achievements in the field of promoting comics.
