Franciszek Starowieyski

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Franciszek Starowieyski, 1990
Noble coat of arms of the Bibersteiner

Franciszek Andrzej Bobola Biberstein-Starowieyski (* July 8, 1930 in Bratkówka near Krosno , Poland ; † February 23, 2009 in Warsaw ) was a Polish graphic artist , painter and set designer known under the artist pseudonym Jan Byk .

Life and work

Starowieyski came from the noble family Biberstein-Starowieyski. 1949–1955 he studied at the art academies in Cracow and Warsaw. The artist specialized in posters, paintings, stage sets and book illustrations. He was a member of the International Alliance of Graphic Designers (AGI) . Along with Henryk Tomaszewski and Jan Lenica , he was one of the most famous Polish poster creators.

His works were characterized by a rich ornamentation . His preferred motives were the passing, death and the end of civilization.

His art was characterized by the cheerful baroque opulence. He liked to work in front of a gathered audience, drawing large-format female nudes at lightning speed. He called this spectacle the “theater of drawing”. To underline his preference for baroque art, Starowieyski signed his works with a date 300 years earlier.

According to his family, he died at the age of 78 on February 23, 2009 in the Polish capital, Warsaw.

Awards (selection)

  • 2000 - 3rd prize, International Biennial of Poster Art, Warsaw
  • 1982 - Silver Hugo "Best Professional Artist", film-graphic design competition
  • 1979 - Gold plaque of the International Film Festival Chicago (USA)
  • 1978 - 2nd prize, International Biennial of Poster Art, Warsaw
  • 1974 - Grand Prix in the cinema poster category at the Cannes International Film Festival
  • 1974 - 2nd prize, International Biennial of Poster Art, Warsaw
  • 1973 - Winner of the International Biennale of Arts of São Paulo (Brazil)

Web links

Literature and Sources

  • Karolina Kempa: Polish Culture Posters in Socialism. An art-sociological study on the (meaning) interpretation of the work of Jan Lenica and Franciszek Starowieyski. Wiesbaden 2018.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated February 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / wiadomosci.onet.pl
  2. ↑ Deutschlandradio Kultur from February 24, 2009: Kulturnachrichten
  3. ^ Entry on Starowieyski in the Polish government database under the heading Society, Culture
  4. ↑ dpa of February 24, 2009: dpa takeover of a report from the Polish press agency PAP  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.monstersandcritics.de  
personal data
SURNAME Starowieyski, Franciszek
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Byk, Jan (pseudonym); Biberstein-Starowieyski, Franciszek Andrzej Bobola (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polish graphic designer, painter and set designer
DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Bratkówka , Poland
DATE OF DEATH February 23, 2009
Place of death Warsaw , Poland