Katarzyna Chrudzimska-Uhera, PhD (dr hab.), Professor at UKSW
Head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art
Institute of Art History
Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw
The life and work of Eugeniusz Sawczyn (1956–1998) can be divided into two distinct phases. The first encompassed his formative years (first at the Art School in Jarosław, then at the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw) and the start of a promising academic and artistic career. The second phase began with Sawczyn’s decision to emigrate. Fortunately, his move to Canada did not derail his ambitions or creative potential; the artist found his place in his new environment and continued to produce works that were original in both form and content. Eugeniusz Sawczyn’s body of work comprises primarily small-scale bronze sculptures, as well as drawings. The human figure remained the focal point of the artist’s work; he studied the human form and the face (portrait) – using their shapes as a basis to weave a narrative about the age-old, yet also entirely contemporary, challenges of humanity.
The course of his career and his emigration led to the dispersal of Eugeniusz Sawczyn’s legacy. His works are held in private collections in Poland and Canada. Furthermore, source materials for research into the artist’s professional and private life need to be collected, organised and analysed. The creation of a comprehensive monographic overview of the life and work of Eugeniusz Sawczyn – in the form of a database, an exhibition or a publication – will be a valuable addition to our knowledge of Polish artistic life in the second half of the 20th century. This task is all the more urgent and important given that Sawczyn’s body of work forms part of Poland’s cultural heritage abroad, which requires special protection, research and promotion.
Zakopane, 31 July 2025
