We present an exceptional work by Józef Gielniak – one of the most important Polish graphic artists of the 20th century, a master of linocut and mixed techniques. This piece from 1963, combining linocut with underpainting and underdrawing, comes from the period of the artist's greatest creative maturity.

Józef Gielniak (1932–1972) was an artist with an extraordinary biography. Born in France, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Valenciennes, and in 1950 came to Poland. From 1953 until his death, he stayed in a sanatorium in Bukowiec, where he was treated for tuberculosis. It was the architecture and surroundings of the sanatorium that became the main, though often transformed, motif of his works. Despite difficult living conditions, Gielniak created a rich artistic legacy – he had 19 solo exhibitions in Poland and 3 abroad (Vienna, Copenhagen, Florence). From 1966, he was a member of the prestigious Société Internationale des Graveurs sur Bois 'XYLON'.

The year 1963 was a breakthrough in the artist's career – he then received an award at the 5th Biennale of Graphic Art in Ljubljana. The presented work comes precisely from this special period. The mixed technique, combining precise linocut with delicate underpainting and underdrawing, gives the piece depth and a unique mood. It is a rare and highly regarded by collectors example of Gielniak's work, which merges expression with the melancholic beauty of the sanatorium landscape.

Gielniak also won awards at the 1st International Biennale in Krakow (1966), the International Exhibition of Graphic Art in Vancouver (1967), and the 2nd International Biennale of Graphic Art in Fredrikstad (1972). His works are today sought after by museums and collectors worldwide.