Premiere of Józef Wilkoń’s book “Ach te Baby”

“Ach te Baby” – Art book presenting the nude in the paintings of Józef Wilkoń

Author: Jozef Wilkoń
Author of the interview: Iwona Staroszczyk
Publisher: Media Rodzina
Media patron: Dobre Wnętrze

The art book “Ach te Baby” by Jozef Wilkoń was published in a limited collector’s edition of 100 copies. It contains high-quality reproductions of female nudes, which were created using modern technologies. Finger painting on a tablet, the author has created an impressive collection of paintings showing the beauty of the female body. Each copy of the book is numbered and hand-signed by the Artist. It additionally includes one original collectible graphic in a special case.

The book was published by the Media Family publishing house and premiered during the 17. Warsaw Art Fair in Kubicki Arcades on October 13, 2019. The second edition, aimed at a wide audience, will have its launch in December 2019.

An integral part of the book is Iwona Staroszczyk’s interview with the Master, which introduces us to the world of the nude in Józef Wilkoń’s painting. It was welcomed by the Media Family publishing house, which has published many books illustrated by the Artist, including. in. “Pan Tadeusz,” The Jungle Book.” “As for me – but these are the words of an amateur – this interview is pioneering. And that is the most important thing. Successors will have to stumble over it (…)” – says Bronislaw Kledzik – director of Family Media

The tradition of art books has a long history. Artists have been making books for centuries, and in their current form since the early 20th century. Many of them were created by the most eminent brush masters, such as. Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso or Joan Miró.

“We decided on this formula in order to make art available to people outside the formal context of the gallery,” said Iwona Staroszczyk. – Jozef Wilkoń is open to different techniques, which he boldly uses. After many stages of his creative path and artistic transformation, this time he is painting with his finger on a tablet, also reaching out to younger generations, who enthusiastically accept and view his art. This is a phenomenon, perhaps even on a global scale, worthy of a strong presence on both the art market and the publishing market. Hence the concept of combining these two worlds – publishing a work of art and an artistically designed book. Self-created artwork becomes the main theme, not just an illustration.”

Thus, the main inspiration for the project is the figure of Józef Wilkoń himself – an outstanding artist who surprises audiences and enchants ever newer generations of art lovers with his work. Wilkoń returns to the nude after more than sixty years, encapsulating his entire creative experience in a published series of paintings:

“Workshop proficiency, bold drawing, freedom and mastery of the line create slender female bodies full of subtle sensuality. The way of building the form, filling the shapes with color, handling the light make us feel the warmth and smoothness of the skin of the painted figures. Some nudes are shown in great detail, almost like a sign emerging from a black background. Others, not devoid of narrative and attributes of everyday life, delight with poetics of simplicity and harmony. They are a kind of self-images remembered by the creator. They do not entirely remain a product of the artist’s imagination, they can be successfully reflected in the silhouettes of real women who have a considerable influence on the emotional life of Józef Wilkoń, who, as he himself says, associates eroticism with the divine act of creation far from sinful connotations.” – Wieslawa Widerynska.

The collector’s edition is available exclusively at the Limited Edition Gallery (www.limitededition.pl). The second edition will be available for purchase in national bookstores.

Media Rodzina Publishing

Media Rodzina is one of the leading publishers of books aimed at children and young people. It was founded in 1992 by American Robert Gamble and Bronislaw Kledzik. To date, it has published about a thousand titles, including many bestsellers, including “Harry Potter,” “Fairy Tales” by the Brothers Grimm, “Fairy Tales and Tales” by Hans Ch. Andersen, “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis. The publishing house’s editorial output also includes popular books addressed to parents, psychologists and teachers, e.g. “Emotional Intelligence” by D. Goleman, Nobel Prize winners D. Kahneman’s “Traps of Thinking”,” Incorrect Behavior” by R.H. Thaler. Many of Media Rodzina’s books are decorated with illustrations by prominent artists, including A. Borne, R. Innocenti, J. Wilkonia.

Limited Edition Gallery

Limited Edition Art Gallery is an online gallery of contemporary art bringing together leading representatives of the Polish and international art scene. The gallery offers works by the masters of painting, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, Joan Miró; native classics, Jozef Wilkoń, Janusz Stanny Beata Czapska, Andrzej Fogtt, Tadeusz Dominik; as well as young artists with an established position in Poland and around the world, among others. Marcin Ryczek, Paul Bik, Tomasz Górnicki.

The gallery’s mission is to promote carefully selected works – paintings, prints and collectible photography in line with the latest art market trends and modern technologies. It was one of the first in Poland to undertake the organization of completely virtual exhibitions – combining professional facilities with universal accessibility.