President opens major exhibition at Warsaw’s Royal Castle
PR dla Zagranicy
Peter Gentle
03.11.2011 13:30
A collection of paintings donated to the Royal Castle in Warsaw by the Lanckoronski family in the 1990s has been put on permanent display in the newly-arranged exhibition space in the Castle.
President Komorowski with First Lady Anna at exhibition opening; photo - PAP/Jacek Turczyk
The opening ceremony was attended by President Bronislaw Komorowski.
The highlights of the exhibition are two portraits by Rembrandt: ‘The Scholar at his Writing Desk’ and ‘The Girl in a Picture Frame’.
Once belonging to Poland’s last king, Stanisław August Poniatowski, the paintings were purchased by the Lanckoronski family at the end of the 18th century, together with many other items from the royal collection.
The Lanckoronski family managed to build one of the finest private art collections in Europe. It miraculously survived the Second World War and in 1994 Karolina Lanckoronska, an art historian and the last surviving member of the family, donated the entire collection to Poland.
A patriot all her life, her intention was to make the donation only after Poland became free from communism. She died in 2002 at the age of 104.
Apart from the Royal Castle in Warsaw, some items from the collection are on view at the Royal Wawel Castle in Kraków. (mk/pg)