19 Oct Magical Realism Museum – poland
The Museum of Magic Realism was established in Wisła as a result of the modernization and expansion of Willa Ochorowiczówka. Today, in the building, you can see not only three hundred paintings and sculptures by contemporary Polish artists, but also get to know the achievements of an exceptional person, Julian Ochorowicz.
At the turn of the 19th and 20th century, a Polish genius Julian Ochorowicz moved to tiny village in the south of Poland – Wisła. He was a versatile man, not only he created the theoretical basis for the operation of television, but was the first to emit radio sounds. He saved the Eiffel Tower, which was to be demolished, thanks to the installation of a telegraph transmitter on it. His villa Ochorowiczówka became the first brick house in the Wisła. During his stay in Wisła, the house was the open to many scholars and writers, and was visited by such outstanding figures as Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Władysław Reymont, Witold Gombrowicz and Bolesław Prus.
The Museum of Magical Realism in Villa Ochorowiczówka – is an architectural design by Górnik Architects. They did not just renovated the building – apart from restoring the original state of the villa, they also added a new pavilion to the main body, the simple shape that fits the historical form of the villa.
For years of neglect, the building was in bad condition, it was damaged by fire, and the main body was “overgrown” with numerous extensions and modifications that did not respect the original structure of the building.
“We decided to demolish all the elements that visually spoiled the shape of this historic place. We wanted to preserve the most important elements of regional architecture and I hope we have succeeded. The shape of the building has been preserved, and we tried to keep as many of the original parts of the building as possible to bring them back to life, ”explained Mateusz Górnik from the Górnik Architects studio.
The Museum of Magic Realism was open on the 100th anniversary of Julian Ochorowicz’s death, May 1, 2017.
There is over 300 paintings and sculptures in the collection of the Museum. There are works of such outstanding artists as Zdzisław Beksiński, Wojciech Siudmak, Rafał Olbiński or Jarosław Jaśnikowski. However, the most unique find among the works on display are the works of Salvador Dali himself.
I visited the collection in September 2020.
The collection is impressive and overwhelming. From a curatorial point of view, it feels chaotic and random.
It feels like a private home of an art collector, cluttered but despite that super inspiring. The art that is presented takes you on a journey.
It is worth mentioning that the museum has a permanent collection of Salvador Dali works, including his drawings, sculptures, perfume bottles and posters.
I was lucky to catch Jakub Różalski exhibition. There was over twenty works shown at the Museum. It was a part of the exhibition “Other worlds”. It became be the first permanent exhibition of this artist’s graphics in Poland and the second in the world.
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