On Sunday, June 1, historical fiction author and art historian Gail Tanzer joined the PMA for a presentation on Florian Durzyński (1902-1969), Polish immigrant Chicago artist.
During the presentation, Gail Tanzer brought life to Florian's story by illuminating the importance of his artwork and his personal journey. Durzyński found home in Chicago’s West Town in 1929, in heart of the old historic “Polish Downtown”, and worked as a portrait painter until being hired by the Work’s Progress Administration (WPA) to paint murals around the city in Chicago Public Schools as part of the Great Depression’s New Deal. These monumental works of art have left Durzyński’s mark on Chicago, creating a lasting impact that not many people know about.After the presentation a lively Q&A session followed, guests enjoyed refreshments and exchanged their observations, purchased books and had them autographed by the writer.
The presentation was accompanied by two special paintings by the artist on display: 1. portrait of Felice Walkowicz, wife of collector and history enthusiast Leon Walkowicz, from the collection of the PMA, and 2. portrait of John Cieplak, Master Carpenter for Swift and Company, brought to the Museum for the time of the event by dear friends of the author. It was Maureen Peggy Cieplak Spiegel and her husband Elliot Spiegel who convinced Gail Tanzer to write the book “Not an Ordinary Artist: A Polish Immigrant’s Challenging and Enduring Story”, and helped with initial research. Portrait of John Cieplak was an inspiration for this endeavor and started it all. It is worth mentioning that Cieplak family: Maureen Peggy, Kathy Cieplak Owens (married to Dan Zambroski), and John Cieplak (favorite grandson of the portrayed) are also related to Archbishop Jan Cieplak (1857-1926), head of the Catholic Church in Russia, imprisoned and sentenced to death by the Bolsheviks, but released in 1924 after an international outcry. He died during his journey through North America, and the PMA has a collection of artifacts pertaining to him as well.
Please visit the Polish Museum of America at your earliest convenience and admire our rich and vast collection of art and historic objects displayed thorough three floors of exhibits in the historic building wrapping around the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Augusta Boulevard.
