Mikolaj Malesza, Hussars, 2021

Acrylic, canvas, 50 x 70 cm, signed p.d.: M21

Painter and theater set designer. In 1979 he graduated from the Interior Design Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where he received a diploma with honors. He is the author of numerous solo exhibitions, including at Studio Gallery (1984), Promotion Gallery (1984) and Brama Gallery (1991). In addition, he has participated in group exhibitions abroad, including in Italy, Holland, Belgium, Germany, France, the USA and Japan. In Malesza's work one can see inspiration from naive art, surrealism, abstraction or realism. The diversity of his work stems, according to the artist himself, from "his encounters with theatrical matter." Malesza is the author of some 70 theatrical set designs. Sometimes the protagonists of his canvases are elements of marionette theater - puppets and masks. He usually depicts human figures as lonely, situated on the side, thoughtful. In 2010, he received the Silver Medal "Meritorious to Culture Gloria Artis", awarded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for his achievements in theater.