Olga Boznanska

Olga Boznańska prints bring the quiet, muted portraits of one of Poland's greatest painters into your home. Boznańska worked in Kraków, Munich and Paris, and her sitters, often women and children, look out from hazy grey and lilac backgrounds with striking psychological depth. Our collection of fine art prints includes her portraits, self-portraits, flower pieces, studio interiors and sketches.

About Olga Boznańska

Olga Boznańska was born in Kraków on 15 April 1865, during the partitions of Poland. Her father was a railway engineer from a noble family and her mother, Eugénie Mondan, was a French teacher from Valence. She learned to draw from her mother and then studied privately in Kraków, including at the Adrian Baraniecki School for Women, and made her debut in 1886.

From 1886 to 1890 she studied in Munich at the private schools of Karl Kricheldorf and Wilhelm Dürr, since women could not yet attend the Academy. She joined the Polish artistic community there, with Józef Brandt as her mentor, and her 1893 Portrait of Paul Nauen won a gold medal in Vienna the following year.

In 1898 she joined the Polish artists' society Sztuka and moved to Paris, where she became a member of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and taught at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Honours followed, including the Legion of Honour in 1912 and the Grand Prix at the Paris exhibition of 1937, and in 1938 the King of Italy bought one of her portraits at the Venice Biennale. She died in Paris on 26 October 1940, aged 75.

Style and Subjects

Boznańska's painting is often linked with Impressionism, though she rejected the label. Her portraits are soft and atmospheric, with greys, browns, greens and violets brushed on in a matt, almost powdery way, and faces that seem to emerge from a gentle haze.

She painted mostly portraits, still lifes and occasionally landscapes. Her sitters are calm and inward-looking, and even her flower pieces and studio interiors share the same hushed mood.

Famous Works

• Portrait of a Woman (Gypsy) (1888), National Museum in Kraków. An early portrait from her Munich years.
• Breton Woman (1890), National Museum in Kraków. A study of a woman in Breton dress.
• Joyful Baśka (1891), National Museum in Kraków. A lively portrait of a smiling young girl.
• Portrait of Paul Nauen (1893), National Museum in Kraków. The portrait of a fellow painter that won her a gold medal in Vienna.
• Girl with Chrysanthemums (1894), National Museum in Kraków. Her most famous painting, a pale girl holding flowers in a symbolist mood.
• Portrait of Jadwiga Sapieżyna (1910), National Museum in Kraków. A princess painted in soft, muted tones.
• Young Woman in White (1912), Musée d'Orsay, Paris. One of her Paris portraits now in the Orsay.

Decorating with Boznańska Prints

Boznańska's soft palette makes her portraits easy to live with in bedrooms, reading corners and quiet living rooms, especially with grey, sage, lilac or warm white walls. Lady in a White Dress or Girl with Chrysanthemums suits a calm, minimal room with natural wood.

Her flower paintings, such as Flowers – Anemones, bring gentle colour to a kitchen or dining room, and her sketches and studio interiors make a thoughtful group for a study.

FAQ

What is Olga Boznańska's most famous painting?

Girl with Chrysanthemums (1894), in the National Museum in Kraków, is her best-known work. It fascinated her contemporaries with its symbolist atmosphere and psychological insight.

What art movement was Olga Boznańska part of?

Her style is often linked with French Impressionism, though she rejected that label. She was a member of the Polish artists' society Sztuka.

Where did Olga Boznańska study?

She studied privately in Kraków and then at the private schools of Karl Kricheldorf and Wilhelm Dürr in Munich, because women were not yet admitted to the Munich Academy.

Where can I see Boznańska's paintings?

Her work is in the National Museums in Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław and Poznań, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and Ca' Pesaro in Venice.

What makes Boznańska's portraits recognizable?

Look for muted greys, browns and violets, a soft, matt surface, and calm sitters with a thoughtful, inward expression.

Related Artists

• Józef Brandt: Polish painter in Munich who became her mentor
• Jacek Malczewski: fellow member of the Polish artists' society Sztuka
• Józef Mehoffer: fellow member of Sztuka
• Leon Wyczółkowski: fellow member of Sztuka
• Stanisław Wyspiański: Kraków painter of the same generation