DESA Unicum supports women's art. Over 100 artists, talks, workshops, and exhibitions.
Successive generations of art scholars and critics have highlighted the absence of women artists in the canon. In 1971, Linda Nochlin famously posed the question, "Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?" A few years later, at her initiative, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art organized the first international exhibition devoted to women's art, which traveled to other cities.
Despite this, we still can't mention many of their names without thinking. This is no coincidence – as Katy Hessel notes, the works of female artists constitute only 1% of the collection of London's National Gallery, and the first edition of E.H. Gombrich's iconic textbook "On Art" didn't include a single woman.
This phenomenon is also reflected in the art market itself. Although the work of female artists is becoming increasingly prominent, their works still represent a fraction of the total. For example, the value of works by women sold on the global auction market between 2008 and 2019 was only 2%—less than Picasso's works alone during that period. In 2022, however, the share of women's art in all auction transactions reached 9%.
Why this lack of representation? For centuries, access to education has been a barrier to emancipation in the arts. Suffice it to say that Zofia Stryjeńska, wanting to enroll at the Munich Academy in 1911, entered the school disguised as a man. The consequences of this systemic neglect are still evident today. Although the market value of contemporary art by women has increased by 194% over the past decade, estimates from the National Museum of Women in the Arts indicate that, at this rate of change, equality at auctions will not be achieved until 2053.
"Our leadership position obliges us to draw attention to figures and themes that have not had the space they deserve in public discourse over the years. Still, not everyone realizes that Polish women artists are our "national treasure" today, and their work is gaining recognition worldwide."
Just look at the growing interest in the work of Magdalena Abakanowicz, Alina Szapocznikow, and Tamara Łempicka, or the successes of current female artists, including Ewa Juszkiewicz and Paulina Ołowska. On the other hand, there are still countless names waiting to be discovered and remembered. The "Women's Art" platform was created as a natural outgrowth of our previous efforts.
It will be a space where both pioneering and contemporary artists will become the protagonists of the story. Running a private cultural institution that organizes approximately 100 exhibitions a year, along with dozens of guided tours, lectures, panels, and other events, we have the opportunity to have a real impact on Polish culture. And we want to use this influence wisely.
Women's art will be exhibited continuously, consistently, and long-term. We hope that more and more public institutions will follow this trend," emphasizes Agata Szkup, President of the Management Board of DESA Unicum.
Following the record-breaking auction of Magdalena Abakanowicz's works, the cyclical exhibitions "Feminism: Women's Art," exhibitions showcasing the collections of female art collectors such as Grażyna Kulczyk and Anda Rottenberg, and the charity project "HERSTORY," the proceeds of which support the construction of Poland's first Women's History Museum, the "Women's Art" project will gain a permanent form and regular editions.
Dishes by Julia Keilowa/photo: DESA UnicumThe first of several events planned for the fall as part of the program will be held under the banner of " Olga Boznańska's Birthday." The year 2025 was designated in her honor by the Polish Parliament, and September will bring numerous events commemorating the artist's 160th birthday and 85th death.
Boznańska's work gained recognition during her lifetime, and the painter became an icon of women's artistic emancipation. Since her debut at the Krakow Society of Friends of Fine Arts in 1886, her works have been presented in exhibitions in Poland, Europe, and the United States. The pioneer's symbolic birthday will serve as a pretext to tell the story of women artists working from the late 18th century, through the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and concluding with the interwar period.
The exhibition "Olga Boznańska and Pioneers of Polish Painting" features works by artists who have chosen different paths to creative freedom, including Anna Bilińska-Bohdanowicz, Mela Muter, Tamara Łempicka, Anna Rajecka, Alicja Halicka, Irena Hassenberg, and Teresa Roszkowska. A real treat for visitors are the photographs of Boznańska herself, presented at the exhibition. One of them is a photograph by Henri Manuel, for whom Claude Monet, among others, posed while painting "Water Lilies."
From Stryjeńska to Bogacka – 100 years of women's perspectiveIn addition to the exhibition devoted to early art, DESA Unicum will host four other exhibitions focusing on women's work in September. The next installment of the "Feminism and Women's Art" series will highlight names such as Natalia Lach-Lachowicz, Agata Bogacka, Agata Kus, Teresa Tyszkiewicz, Erna Rosenstien, Maria Pinińska-Bereś, Aneta Grzeszykowska, and Dorota Kuźnik , showcasing the changing attitudes of female artists, their uncompromising approach to art, and their interest in the body and social issues.
The exhibition "Design: Towards Women" will pay tribute to women designers who redefined the concept of design in ceramics, metalwork, glass, and fabric, often working on the margins of the mainstream, yet shaping the aesthetics of everyday life.
A separate exhibition , "Julia Keilowa. Designer of Polish Modernity," will celebrate the design icon whose pieces graced the salons of the Second Polish Republic. The exhibition , "Triumph of Art Deco. Paris. Warsaw. Zakopane," will commemorate the centenary of the Polish Pavilion in Paris, where Zofia Stryjeńska elevated folk motifs to the status of art and won four Grand Prix awards.
The exhibitions will be accompanied by a specially prepared programme of events – from a series of panels and conversations, including a lecture by Iwona Danielewicz about Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, the portraitist of Marie Antoinette , through guided tours with curators, to an outdoor screening of the film "In a Corset" in cooperation with the distributor M2.
The "Women's Art" project is a long-term initiative—encompassing exhibitions, auctions, and educational activities—and its goal is to permanently bring women's work to the forefront of artistic and social debate. The September inauguration is just the beginning of a series of activities that will strengthen the position of women in art history and the collectors' market.
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Olga Boznańska and the Pioneers of Polish Painting
Exhibition: September 11-18
Feminism and Women's Art
Exhibition: September 5 – 18
Design. Towards women.
Exhibition: September 17 – 23
The Triumph of Art Déco. Paris. Warsaw. Zakopane
Exhibition: September 19 – 27
Julia Keilowa. Designer of Polish Modernity
Exhibition: September 11 – 27
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13/09: Olga Boznańska's birthday
- time. 12: "Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. A Painter at Work"
- lecture by Iwona Danielewicz
- 1:15 p.m.: "Boznańska 2025"
- interview with Urszula Kozakowska-Zaucha
- 2:15 PM: Feminism and Women's Art in Poland: From Body to Identity
- a conversation with the artists: Iwona Demko, Katarzyna Górna and Wiktoria Walendzik; moderated by Maja Michalak (Beyond Frames)
17/09
- 5:30 PM: Julia Keilowa. Designer of Polish Modernity
- Guided tour of the exhibition
- 6:15 PM: Design Talk
- 7:15 PM: "In the Corset," directed by Marie Kreutzer, 2022
- Film screening
24/09
- 6:00 PM: Design Collections
- Premiere of Aleksandra Koperda's book, hosted by Marta Kubala
27/09
- 3:00 PM: The Triumph of Art Déco. Paris. Warsaw. Zakopane
- Guided tour of the exhibition with Adam Leja
