Artists’ collections

Numismatic collection of the Historical and Literary Society / Polish Library in Paris allows us to present the oeuvre of a number of eminent nineteenth- and twentieth-century artists, among them Władysław Oleszczyński, author of many émigré medals and medallions, who took inspiration from Pierre-Jean David, also known as David d’Angers. The latter, being a friend of Adam Mickiewicz, produced medallions with images of many Polish emigrants, driven by the idea of creating a gallery of eminent European personalities. The collection also contains work by Polish émigré artists such as Cyprian Kamil Norwid or Teofil Lenartowicz, as well as famous French artists Albert and Jean-Auguste Barre, and Antoine Bovy.

The twentieth-century collection boasts artwork by Henry Dropsy and Emil-Antoine Bourdelle, as well as interesting and consistent pieces by Polish and émigré artists such as Fraciszek Black, Wanda Jurgielewicz, Serge Ponomarew, Michel de Tarnowski et al. Jan Nalborczyk proposed artworks inspired by Symbolism, thus breaking the rules of portraying figures on medals or medallions.