Attraction

Starmach Gallery in Krakow: post-war Polish art in Podgórze

Teresa and Andrzej Starmach, art historians from Krakow, founded their gallery in 1989 and moved it in 1997 to a building on Węgierska Street that the gallery describes as a former Jewish prayer house. The gallery also sells art.

Since May 1997 the Starmach Gallery in Krakow (Galeria Starmach) has been based at Węgierska 5 in Podgórze, in a restored building that the gallery describes as a former Jewish prayer house. It is a gallery that also sells art. The Krakow art historians Teresa and Andrzej Starmach created it and are responsible for its programme. The building stands about 150 m in a straight line from Podgórze Market Square.

Visiting the Starmach Gallery: exhibitions and works for sale

In its own words, the gallery tries to show that commercial and artistic success can be combined. What the gallery calls its "permanent offer" (stała oferta) is its stock of works for sale, not a permanent exhibition.

Exhibitions change through the year, so before your visit check the current exhibition programme on the Starmach Gallery website.

Art at the Starmach Gallery: Grupa Krakowska and abstraction

Teresa and Andrzej Starmach focus above all on artists from the circle of Grupa Krakowska (the Krakow Group), an artists' group. The gallery has held solo exhibitions of members of the group, among them Tadeusz Kantor, Jerzy Nowosielski, Andrzej Pawłowski, Jan Tarasin, Marian Warzecha, Teresa Rudowicz and Maria Stangret-Kantor.

Geometric abstraction is the second focus of the gallery's exhibitions. The works in its permanent offer include pieces by Henryk Stażewski, Ryszard Winiarski, Adam Marczyński and Janusz Orbitowski.

Since its move to Węgierska Street, the gallery has also shown work by artists from other countries. Among them are photographs by Nobuyoshi Araki, drawings by David Rabinowitch, works by Joseph Beuys and polaroids by Andy Warhol.

History of the Zucker prayer house and the Starmach Gallery

The building on Węgierska Street was built in 1879-1881 as a Jewish prayer house, the Dom Modlitwy Zuchera. Its interiors were later adapted for exhibitions.

The façade of the building is brick. The gallery describes it as an excellent example of Rundbogenstil (round-arch style) in the architecture of Krakow. The building has about 600 square metres of floor space, including about 250 square metres for exhibitions. The gallery describes itself as one of the largest private galleries in Poland.

The gallery itself was founded in 1989 on the Main Market Square. It was set up as a place to present the most important developments in Polish post-war art. The gallery has also organised exhibitions abroad, including in London, Paris, Vienna, New York, Rome and Budapest.

On 17 May 1997 the gallery opened its new premises on Węgierska Street, where it is still based. The architect Jan Rumian designed the adaptation of the building. Professor Piotr Krakowski gave architectural and conservation advice. The same building is also the seat of Fundacja Nowosielskich, a foundation set up in May 1996 on the initiative of Zofia and Jerzy Nowosielski.

Near Węgierska Street: St Joseph's Church and Bednarski Park

St Joseph's Church in Podgórze is about 150 m from the gallery. Bednarski Park and the Eagle Pharmacy are each about 300 m away. These distances are measured in a straight line, not along the streets.