IN SEARCH OF A NEW REALITY
Abstract works 1948–1955
22nd May – 22nd June 2012
6 DUKE STREET ST. JAMES’S LONDON SW1Y 6BNTEL. +44 (0)20 7930 9332 EMAIL [email protected]
WHITFORDF I N E A R T
All Works are for Sale
Above: Caziel (Kazimierz Jozef Zielenkiewicz 1906–1988), 1951Front cover: Abstract Composition, c.1951 (cat. no. 34)
Caziel, my grandfather, had an analogy to describe his belief in abstraction, drawing a parallel
between art and music in general, and to Arthur Honegger’s Pacific 231 (1924) in particular. Should
one listen to this incredible piece of music and feel a spontaneous rush of emotion, then that
intangible, sensual reaction is the key to Abstraction. On the other hand, if the listener was
informed that the piece describes a train arriving at a station, then the music loses its ineffable
gravitas, ceases to be abstract, and consequent listenings will be marred by the concrete
description. In actual fact, Honegger had not written this piece to mimic a train; instead he carefully
constructed the rhythms and timbres in a way which intentionally evoked a certain reaction in the
audience. In much the same way, Caziel worked like an alchemist combining colours and shapes
in exactly the desired amounts, in order to create a response to the essence of being; his works do
not defy description but to look for tangible meaning is to deny them of their utilitarian purpose.
Caziel believed in the healing power of the visual arts, his thoughtful combinations of colour and
form aim to nourish the soul just as food nourishes the body.
Works from this period, 1948-1955, represent Caziel's departure from figuratively informed
Cubism, and the start of his search for a new abstract language. Having met Picasso in 1948, they
shared a studio in Paris for the following five years. Over this period Caziel exhibited alongside
Vasarely, Manessier and Hartung at the Salon de Mai, annually submitting works which show
reverence for the early cubist innovations of Braque and Picasso through which he arrived at his
own personal brand of abstraction.
This exhibition brings together some of the most important and inspiring works from Caziel's early
Abstract period, from a time when he was at the centre of the Post-War Parisian art scene. In
search of a new dimension, his art transcends the natural stimulus of figuration, bringing to life an
unseen world punctuated by nuances in colour, texture and form, yet always humanistic in
intention. These works represent the start of Caziel's journey into abstraction, a route which he
would follow with inexhaustible passion for the rest of his life.
Max Stiegler, May 2012
CAZIEL: In Search of a New Reality
Abstract works from 1948–1955
1. Composition 8. June 1955
Oil on canvas41 x 27 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988,Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998,cat. rais. no.316, p.55.
2. Composition 09.51 1951
Oil on board laid on panel71.5 x 51 cm
EXHIBITED: 2008, Caziel: "Je Suis Abstrait"- Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art,London.
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. NationalMuseum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.266, p.53; Caziel: 'Je Suis Abstrait' - Works from theFifties, Whitford Fine Art, London, 2008, exhibition catalogue with introduction by An JoFermon, cat. no.17, ill.
3. Abstract Composition c.1950
Charcoal48 x 63 cm
4. Composition in Blue and Black 1949
Oil on canvas47 x 61 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw,1998, cat. rais. no.224, p.52
6. Composition “Cobra” c.1948
Oil on canvas30 x 51 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. NationalMuseum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.164, p.51.
5. Composition “Cobra” c.1948
Oil on canvas26 x 47 cm
EXHIBITED: 1997, CAZIEL: Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London.
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné.National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.153, p.50; CAZIEL: Works from theFifties, exhibition catalogue, Whitford Fine Art, London, 1997, cat. no.16, ill.
7. Architectonic Composition 1951
Oil on artist’s board40 x 32 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum,Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.270, p.53.
8. Composition 4.06.1955 1955
Oil on canvas81 x 65 cm
EXHIBITED: 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective, National Museum, Warsaw.
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum,Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.315, p.55, ill. pl.44.
9. Composition 51 1951
Charcoal48 x 63.3 cm
10. Oval Composition 1949
Oil on canvas58 x 71.3 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw,1998, cat. rais. no.184, p.51.
11. Abstract Composition 1949
Charcoal48 x 28.5 cm
12. Composition with Moon 1951
Oil on canvas46 x 55 cm
EXHIBITED: 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective, National Museum, Warsaw.
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw,1998, cat. rais. no.288, p.54.
13. Composition 54.XI 1954
Gouache48.5 x 62.5 cm
14. Composition no.30 1948
Oil on canvas56 x 62 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw,1998, cat. rais. no.162, p.51.
15. Architectonic Composition 1949
Gouache and pencil48 x 62 cm
16. Abstract Composition c.1948
Oil on canvas73 x 29 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. NationalMuseum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.170, p.51.
17. Architectonic Composition c.1952-3
Oil on canvas90 x 128 cm
EXHIBITED add ‘2008, Caziel: "Je Suis Abstrait"- Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London.’
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum,Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.299,p.54.; Caziel: 'Je Suis Abstrait' - Works from the Fifties, WhitfordFine Art, London, 2008, exhibition catalogue with introduction by An Jo Fermon, ill. cat. no. 32.
18. Composition May 50 1950
Charcoal and chalk48 x 31 cm
19. Abstract Composition 1951
Oil on canvas46 x 55 cm
EXHIBITED: 1997, CAZIEL: Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London.
LITERATURE: CAZIEL: Works from the Fifties, exhibition catalogue, Whitford Fine Art, London, 1997, cat.no.48, ill.
20. Architectonic Composition c.1949
Gouache48 x 63 cm
21. Composition “Cobra” 1950
Oil on canvas53 x 70 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998,cat. rais. no.237, p.53.
22. Composition 50 1950
Charcoal31 x 48 cm
23. Composition 51.IX 1951
Gouache48 x 62.5 cm
24. Geometric Composition c.1951
Oil on artist’s board40.5 x 20 cm
26. Composition “Cobra” c.1948
Oil on canvas23 x 52 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw,1998, cat. rais. no.147, p.50.
25. Composition “Cobra” c.1948
Oil on canvas21 x 55 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw,1998, cat. rais. no.141, p.50.
27. Composition no.3 1952
Oil on canvas80 x 97 cm
EXHIBITED: 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective, National Museum, Warsaw.
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum,Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.293, p.54, ill. pl. 38.
28. Composition c.1955
Oil on panel43 x 23 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988,Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998,cat. rais. no.326, p.55.
29. Abstract Composition 1949
Oil on canvas50 x 81 cm
EXHIBITED: 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective, National Museum, Warsaw.
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw,1998, cat. rais. no.183, p.51, ill. pl.36.
30. Architectonic Composition c.1949
Gouache and charcoal48 x 62 cm
31. Architectonic Composition c.1950
Oil on canvas55 x 46 cm
EXHIBITED: 1998, Caziel 1906-1988, Retrospective, National Museum, Warsaw.
LITERATURE: J. PERRY, The Grand Play of Light. The Art & Life of Caziel, AMPublications, London, 1997,ill. pl.40; MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, CatalogueRaisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.260, p.53, ill. pl.37.
33. Geometric Composition c.1952
Oil on canvas23 x 39.5 cm
32. Abstract Composition c.1948
Oil on canvas14 x 22 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné.National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.134, p.50.
34. Abstract Composition c.1951
Oil on canvas61 x 50 cm
35. Geometric Composition c.1950
Oil on hardboard50 x 61 cm
LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998,cat. rais no.285, p.54.
36. Abstract Composition 1951
Oil on canvas46.5 x 38 cm
37. Composition no.21 c.1950
Oil on artist’s board26 x 31 cm
38. Abstract Composition c.1950
Gouache47.5 x 60.5 cm
39. Geometric Composition c.1952
Coloured chalks65 x 33.5 cm
1 Composition 8 June2 Composition 09.513 Abstract Composition4 Composition in Blue and Black5 Composition "Cobra"6 Composition "Cobra"7 Architectonic Composition8 Composition 4.06.19559 Composition 5110 Oval Composition11 Abstract Composition12 Composition with Moon13 Composition 54.XI14 Composition no.3015 Architectonic Composition16 Abstract Composition17 Architectonic Composition18 Composition May 5019 Abstract Composition20 Architectonic Composition21 Composition "Cobra"22 Composition 5023 Composition 51.IX24 Geometric Composition25 Composition "Cobra"26 Composition "Cobra"27 Composition no.328 Composition29 Abstract Composition30 Architectonic Composition31 Architectonic Composition32 Abstract Composition33 Geometric Composition34 Abstract Composition35 Geometric Composition36 Abstract Composition37 Composition no.2138 Abstract Composition39 Geometric Composition
WORKS
All works come from the Estate of Caziel and aresigned or have the Studio stamp
CHRONOLOGY & EXHIBITIONS
1906 Born in Sosnowiec, Poland, on 16th June
1931-36 Studied painting in Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts
1932 Exhibited at Loza Wolnomalarska (Lodge of Free Painters)
1937 Won a State scholarship to Italy and Paris
1939 Volunteered for the Polish Army in France
1946 Settled in France, Aix-en-Provence, later moved to Paris
Designed the Polish Pavilion for UNESCO International Exhibition of Modern Art
1947 Held one-man show at the Galerie Allard, Paris
1948 Met Picasso with whom he developed a long standing friendship
1948-56 Exhibited at the Salon de Mai in Paris
1951 The Musée National d’Art Moderne purchased one of his monumental canvas works
1953 The Vatican commissioned four large paintings for their Museum of Modern Religious Art
Designed frescoes for French architect Jean Ginsberg
1957 Married the Scottish painter Catherine Sinclair
1963 Exterior design for the Atomic Energy Commission at Tollemache House, Thurso
1966 First one-man in London, hosted by the Grabowski Gallery
Second one-man show at the Grabowski Gallery, London
1966-68 Exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London
1968 Second one-man show at the Grabowski Gallery, London
1969 Left France to settle in Somerset, England
1978 Exhibited at the National Museum, Warsaw – Circle of Tadeusz Pruszkowski
1983 Exhibited works on paper at the Summer Exhibition at Fair Maids House Gallery, Perth
1988 Died in Somerset
1990 Memorial Exhibition at the Polish Cultural Institute, London
1991 Exhibition at the Butlin Gallery, Dillington House College, Ilminster, Somerset
1992 Exhibition of works from 1945 – 1988 at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
1995 Exhibition Caziel (1906-1988): Substance and Light, Whitford Fine Art, London
1997 Exhibition Caziel: Drawings from the Fourties, Whitford Fine Art, London
Exhibition Caziel: Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
1998 Retrospective Exhibition at the National Museum, Warsaw
2001 Exhibition Contour and Line: Selection of Works on Paper from 1965 by Caziel,
Whitford Fine Art, London
2004 Exhibition Caziel: Abstraction: 1963 – 1967, Whitford Fine Art, London
Retrospective Exhibition at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London
2006 Centenary Retrospective Exhibition, Whitford Fine Art, London
2008 Exhibition “Je Suis Abstrait” – Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
2010 Exhibition Drawings and Watercolours 1935 – 1952, Whitford Fine Art, London