Kraków’s museums: from objects to meanings

The Museum of Krakow marks the latest chapter of its activities (following the recent name change) with the motto “I am Kraków”, reflecting its mission and stressing the continuity between the past and the present.

Kraków’s museums present ways of understanding our unique city through their objects and exhibitions, helping us elucidate the processes in which Kraków has played a leading role.

Olga Boznańska’s melancholy portrait of a girl with chrysanthemums, on display at the National Museum, perfectly captures the intimacy of emotions. The girl’s gaze makes it absolutely clear that childhood can be far from carefree.

“Szymborska’s Drawer” reveals a universe comprising trinkets belonging to the late Nobelist. By including them in her poems, she elevated the mundane into the epic – as she wrote, even in our daily lives “nothing can ever happen twice”.

If there’s one thing that can be said about Kraków is that we’ve got plenty of time. The past, the future, lost time, found time, time marked by the rhythm of holidays, everyday time… It’s no wonder, then, that our museums also concern themselves with it.

Collections of items found in urban apartments tell a very different story to that shown by ethnographic presentations. Visitors to the Hipolit Tenement House have a choice: they can see the collection as a presentation of anachronistic memorabilia, or strive to find a deeper sense in it.

All museum collections, and Kraków’s entire history, are based on human stories – those of ordinary people and their famous counterparts. The Józef Czapski Pavilion, presenting a reconstruction of this artist and intellectualist’s studio in Paris, is a good example of how one man was inspirational to many.

The concept of importing the authentic interiors, created by Krystyna Zachwatowicz and Andrzej Wajda, may seem eccentric at first. But it can also be seen as a way of reflecting on the presence of people who are no longer with us; on their ideas, sensitivities, views.

Feliks “Manggha” Jasieński’s main motivation for creating his extraordinary collection was exploring different ways of looking at the world, in particular the conventions in which art is presented. The globetrotter and aesthete who chose Kraków as his home is largely responsible for popularising Oriental art, in particular Japanese woodcuts, in late 19th-century Poland. A part of his collection is presented at the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology. But these fascinating objects only start to make sense when we consider their meaning and value, and ask why they were chosen to be included. The precision which goes into crafting samurai swords is simply captivating, so it is terrific to have the opportunity to examine them up close. There are many good reasons why each object is (or isn’t) included in the collection, and they create a unique whole to be viewed together.

The Main Building of the National Museum in Krakow presents an excellent example illustrating our complex relationship with the past. A simple video shows a discussion between (somewhat blasé) artists. They name different trends from art history, eventually reaching the conclusion that “everything has been done before”. While we broadly agree with the self-mocking joke by the Grupa Ładnie collective, in Kraków the past is frequently still present. The past is always being considered, and our museums are always ready to play with it – even at the risk of not looking entirely serious.

If you’ve ever visited the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) branch of the National Museum in Krakow, you’re bound to have seen Władysław Podkowiński’s (in?)famous painting “Frenzy of Exultation”. The naked woman riding the frenetic horse out of an apparent abyss captivates some viewers and repels others. The painting is one of the most important items in the collection and stands out from among other symbolic depictions of Polish national mythology. The author himself was so affected by it, he slashed it with a knife a month after it first went on show.

While in the majority of Europe the 19th century was an era of inventions and rapid development, in Poland it is mainly remembered for its powerful national spirit with no foundations in state structures. The aim of creating a collection of Polish art was to provide a mythological framework which would construct and maintain Polishness. Studying it today helps us make sense of the famous Polish Romanticism, fantasies and tendencies to irrational elation, and learn more about historic events we keep returning to time and again. Henryk Siemiradzki’s monumental “Nero’s Torches” is a good example of the Polish perception of the nation and country’s martyrdom. Major historic events, many of which took place in Kraków (such as the Prussian homage, painted by Jan Matejko), continue to inspire reflection and, for many people, remain the very foundations of patriotism. Many paintings at the Cloth Hall gallery reveal artists’ fascination with landscapes (the countryside was seen as the essence of Polishness for centuries) presented alongside moving portraits. This collection explores many universal themes in the context of a mid-sized city in Central Europe, widely regarded as Poland’s spiritual capital.

Leaving aside Pan Twardowski – who, according to legend, now lives on the Moon anyway – Kraków is home to far more serious evidence of Poland’s exploration of space. Memorabilia of Nicolaus Copernicus from his time at the Jagiellonian University are on display at the university’s museum. Astronomical instruments once used by professors at the Kraków Academy provide invaluable – and often moving – evidence of the drive to pursue science and research regardless of the views of others. They also captivate with their intricate design – the working tools are as beautiful as they are practical.

In many of Kraków’s museums, the visitors play a key role by bringing together the presented fragments into their very own, personal wholes dependent on expectations, views and needs. Interpretation is gradually replacing the once-dominant model of museums transmitting information through narrative. After all, who doesn’t love a good story? Kraków abounds with them, and museums are doing all they can to make them relevant today.

The Ethnographic Museum, whose motto is “My museum”, dedicates an entire floor of its permanent exhibitions at the former Kazimierz Town Hall to amateur or primitive art.