Biographies

Olga Boznanska (1865-1940)

She was born in Cracow, Poland, but moved to Paris permanently in 1898. Nevertheless, she remained in contact with Poland and Polish artists, returning frequently to visit and paint. In Cracow she studied with Jozef Siedlecki, Hipolit Lipinski, and Kazimierz Pochwalski. She then continued her studies in Munich, where she had her first successes, winning many prizes and awards. In Paris she joined l’Association des Artistes Polonais “Sztuka.” And beginning in 1901 she also exhibited with la Société Nationale des Beaux Arts. Known mainly for her portraits and still lives, she ultimately received high awards from both France and Poland. Her work was described by Huntly Carter in The New Age as “characterized by strength, delicacy, and refinement” and he praised one of her portraits as “a bold application of the most modern impressionist ideas” (NA 6.19:452). He may have been referring to one of the two self-portraits reproduced in our archive.