Alfred Lenica (1899-1977), Composition

gouache, ink, paper, 61 x 86 cm,
Signed p.d.: Lenica.
On the back the author's stamp: Art. plast. / Alfred Lenica / Warsaw ul. Nowy Świat 55m9.
Condition: cracks in the paper at the bottom edge.

Painter, educated at the Private Institute of Fine Arts under Adam Hanytkiewicz and J. Kubowicz. He spent the period of the 2nd war in Cracow, where he was friends with Jerzy Kujawski and established contact with the circle of artists associated with Tadeusz Kantor. In 1945, he returned to Poznan. Here in 1947, together with I. Houwalt and F. M. Nowowiejski, he founded the avant-garde art group 4F+R (Form, Paint, Texture, Fantastics + Realism), and was a member and later president of ZPAP. In 1956 he moved permanently to Warsaw. At first he succumbed to the influence of Cubism, over time he became inspired by Surrealism and Symbolism, fascinated by the paintings of De Chirico and Salvador Dali. After the war, he moved away from depicting real objects and turned to informel, creating abstract compositions with high expressive power of vibrant, dense, dynamic forms. In 1958, the artist had a solo exhibition at Warsaw's Zachęta Gallery, which resulted in numerous shows of his works in Poland and abroad. The artist's works can be found, among others, in the collections of the National Museum in Warsaw, Cracow, Poznan, Lodz, Szczecin and in numerous private collections.