BERLIN.- After the exhibition of his photographic work in 2008, Galerie Berinson announces the first solo exhibition of the graphic work by Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz in Berlin. The 26 exhibited works on paper show the broad spectrum of this unusual Polish avant-garde artist, whose work emerged in the politically turbulent years between 1918-1939.

Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz was born in 1885 in Warsaw, and was one of the most versatile artists of the 20th century. A photographer, philosopher, painter, theorist and writer at the same time, he primarily worked under the pseudonym of 'Witkacy'.

His eccentric work was free from any expectations of his time. Looking for deeper truth it grappled with the topic of cosmology and the theory of existentialism. His metaphysical and philosophical views on the state of mankind find its expression in a variety of drawings, which can be seen in this exhibition.

The work “Already back then he did things like that“ from 1931 shows several grotesque creatures that reflect Witkiewicz´s tortured inner soul. Having suffered severe injuries during First World War, as a result the experimentation with various drugs followed. This intense intoxication finds its creative documentation in the numerous drawings in forms of encoding and notes.

In addition, to his phantasmagoric fable-world his portraits are a reflection of an uncanny sensibility and sense of humanity. In the expressive portrait of "Prince Alexander Friedrich without safety needle" from 1918, Witkiewicz captures in an empathetic manner the state of exhaustion and thoughtfulness of his sitter.

Even throughout childhood Witkiewicz was marked by artistic influences. His father Stanisław Witkiewicz was a renowned artist and founder of the "Zakopane style". This was a revival of the national Polish art perception - also in architecture.

Witkiewicz´s scientific writings were completed at an early stage. His first critical texts were written at the age of 17 years only - "Schopenhauer's philosophy and its relation to its predecessors“ and “On Dualism“. Philosophical subjects engaged the artist´s interest incessantly and throughout his career. Other creative impulses resulted in a longer stay abroad in France, where he studied the work of artist Paul Gauguin and let himself be influenced by the style of synthetism.

Plagued by severe depression throughout his life, Witkiewicz committed suicide in 1933 at the age of 54.