Antoni Uniechowski, Cheers

watercolor, gouache, ink pen, brush, paper, 28 x 19.5 cm in st. passe-partout

Signed p.d.: AU

Antoni Uniechowski came from a landed gentry family that settled in Warsaw in 1918 after losing their property in Belarus. He studied, initially as a free student, at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts (1924-1930) under Prof. Karol Tiche (painting) and Prof. Wojciech Jastrzębowski (designing solids and planes). He was particularly interested in the history of art; over time he was to become very expert in the fields of artistic craftsmanship, costume design, and interior style in various eras. After graduating, he worked in applied graphics and drawing, in which he arrived at a distinctive style characterized by a light, sketchy line. He also designed badges, commemorative plaques, textiles, exhibitions and store interiors. In 1935 he joined the Bloc of Professional Artists. He spent the occupation years in Warsaw, doing casual work and selling his drawings. After the Uprising, he made his way to Krakow, where he began working with
with "Przekroj," which lasted until 1956. Soon his drawings began to be published by most illustrated Polish magazines. He was also a sought-after illustrator, collaborating with "Nasza Księgarnia," "Czytelnik," PWN, and "Iskry," among others. Since 1949, Uniechowski settled back in
in Warsaw. Together with his wife Felicia, an art historian, they created a house filled with books and art objects, and open to numerous guests. In 1956, the artist took up theater stage design, which was followed by - less numerous - projects for film and television. He was the recipient of numerous awards for illustration and book graphics, including First Prize at the National Book and Illustration Exhibition in 1951, Second Prize at the National Exhibition of Illustration, Poster and Small Forms in 1955,
First prize at the Book and Illustration Exhibition on the 15th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland in 1962, a silver medal at the International Book Fair in 1965, he also won prizes in competitions of the Polish Society of Book Publishers for the best published book of the year. In 1974 there was a solo exhibition of the artist at the Zachęta Gallery, a summary of his work on his 70th birthday.