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Frederick Chopin and the Kolberg Brothers and Their Times. Friendship, Work, Fascinations
Monday, 26 September 2005
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At the turn of the 19th century, two foreigners arrived in Warsaw. One of them was Mikołaj (Nicolas) Chopin – a Frenchman, educator, teacher of the French language and professor of French literature. The other one was Julius Kolberg, a German surveyor and cartographer, official of the Prussian administration. Both men settled in Warsaw. They became friends, joined by their artistic interests and teaching activities, as well as by living next to each other, in the annex of the Casimir Palace. Both men married Polish women, becoming “Poles by choice”. Eagerly serving their new homeland, they also cared for the upbringing of the new generation – their children made significant contributions to the Polish science and culture.
During the first three decades of the 19th century, Warsaw was the main center of the Polish culture. It kept its dominant position despite the unfavorable historical events, resulting from the unstable political situation – the partition treaty and removal of Poland from the map of Europe – and the attempts to regain sovereignty. Being in the midst of political events, the city stood out also as an economic and cultural center.
The reorganization of the legal, administrative and educational systems supported the introduction of democracy into social relations, the development of professional and clerical intellectual elites. The nation’s capital was a home for numerous art communities – writers, people of theater and music and of the arts. Scientific and cultural institutions started to appear gradually: the Warsaw Royal Society of Science Friends, the Warsaw Lyceum, the Royal Warsaw University, numerous theaters, publishing houses, literary and artistic meeting salons.
The Chopin and Kolberg families found in the 19th century Warsaw conditions that supported their intellectual development and creativity; an atmosphere of friendship, tolerance and respect. Despite the fact that they lived and worked during times of the country’s partitions, they had a chance to develop their talents – and used this chance fully. The contributions of both families into science and teaching activities, their high clerical positions and their active presence in the artistic and social life of the capital placed them among the elite.
This exposition is not an attempt to present all the works of Frederick Chopin and the Kolberg brothers. It presents their legacy in the context of mutual relations, paying particular attention to the environment in which they grew up, and later realized their creative, scientific and artistic ambitions. It offers a colorful mosaic of selected facts, and allows the viewers to have a glimpse of the formation process of incredible personalities.
We invite you to visit the world of the young Frederick Chopin and his friends: Wilhelm, Antoni and Oskar.
THE EXHIBITION
covers five themes:
1) The salon – the meeting place of the families of Mikołaj Chopin and Julius Kolberg
2) The family house of Frederick Chopin
3) The family house of the Kolberg brothers
4) The Warsaw scientific and artistic community
5) Frederick Chopin and the Kolberg brothers: Wilhelm, Oskar and Antoni
THE EXHIBITION’S CATALOGUE
diverts a little from this basic division, presenting three parts
called:
1) Mikołaj Chopin and his family
2) Julius Kolberg and his family
3) The Warsaw scientific and artistic community
In order to make the catalogue more transparent, all objects connected with one person are presented in one chapter, in chronological order and covered by the same numbering system. A description of each item contains the title, brief formal data, information on the collection from which the object comes, description of its origin and bibliography, which is kept to a necessary minimum. All notes (including handwritten notes by the artist) are presented in italic fonts, quotes from letters and press publications are printed in quotation marks. The measurements of the objects are presented in millimeters, and next to street names, numbers of property according to the mortgage register are provided.
The descriptions in the catalogue are supplemented with brief comments and biographical information.
The exhibition is open
from 2 to 24 OCTOBER 2005
daily, from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.
THE OSTROGSKI CASTLE, WARSAW, 1 OKÓLNIK STREET
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE SOCIETY’S TICKET OFFICE:
10 ZLOTY REGULAR, 5 ZLOTY REDUCED RATE
FOR INFORMATION, CALL: (48 22) 826 59 35
The event accompanies the 15th International F. Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw.
List of all events accompanying the competition
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