Andrzej Pietsch (1932–2010) - Travelers V – Before Dawn, 1971
Color etching on paper.
Piece no. 12/40.
Dimensions of the work: 64 × 45.5 cm.
Dimensions with frame: 78 × 58.5 cm
Signed, dated, and inscribed in pencil in the lower margin.
Framed in silver, with a mat, without glass.
Condition: The print is in very good condition; there are signs of aging on the margins of the paper.
Mat and frame without glass.
A piece of this composition is held in the collection of Zachęta—National Gallery of Art.
Andrzej Pietsch (1932–2010)—graphic artist, mountaineer, and climber. He was born in 1932 in Kraków, where he graduated from the High School of Fine Arts. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (1951–58, earning his diploma under Prof. Mieczysław Wejman). In 1986, he was awarded the title of full professor. He collaborated with several other universities in Poland (including those in Poznań, Katowice, Lublin, and Cieszyn); from 1972 to 1978, he served as vice rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. By 1999, he had held approximately 70 solo exhibitions—about half of them abroad—and participated in over 200 group exhibitions. Over time, he became one of the most highly regarded Polish printmakers; he has received international awards since 1966. His work included intaglio printing, and he created print series such as “Actresses” (since 1964), “Travelers” and “Travels” (since 1966), “Grasses” (since 1984), as well as (especially in his earlier work) mountain motifs. He also became a highly regarded educator (by 2000, eight of his students had become professors, and over 170 students had earned their degrees under his guidance). He served on numerous competition juries. Co-organizer of the “Kuźnica” cultural artists’ club. In 1969, he received the Third-Class Award from the Ministry of Culture and Art; he was a laureate of the City of Kraków Artistic Award (1974) and the Minister of Culture and Art Award (1975), as well as other awards and distinctions, including at the MBG in Kraków (1966, 1968, 1970), the International Print Biennial in Bradford (1976), and Fredrikstad (1984). In 1999, he won an Equal Prize at the Biennial of Small Graphic Forms in Łódź. He died on November 30, 2010, and is buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków.
