Valuable acquisitions enrich collections of National Museum and Józef Piłsudski Museum

A gift of Wanda Wolińska and Monika Dillon from New York, the painting Going to a Fair by Józef Brandt will become part of the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. The painting’s whereabouts were unknown for many years; its first reproduction was published in 1878 by Tygodnik Ilustrowany, a Warsaw weekly.

“I’m accepting this painting today with deep gratitude,” said National Museum Director Agnieszka Morawińska. “This new painting we’re receiving is especially valuable, as there are only few early works by Józef Brandt in our collection. Soon we’ll be able to marvel at his oeuvre thanks to a Brandt exhibition that’s being mounted by the National Museum,” added Director Agnieszka Morawińska.

A collection of 26 decorations of Colonel Władysław Belina-Prażmowski will in turn make its way to the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek. While thanking the donors, Director Krzysztof Jaraczewski stressed that the museum is being created thanks to the gifts of private individuals. “By bringing these decorations to Poland, the MFA has not only helped us in a practical way, but also reaffirmed the lasting significance of the values Colonel Belina-Prażmowski was awarded for,” said Director Krzysztof Jaraczewski. The distinctions include a Virtuti Militari cross with a ribbon, a Cross of Valour, and a true rarity – a badge of Józef Piłsudski’s 1st light cavalry regiment. The donor was Amelia Belina-Prażmowska from Toronto.

The valuable items were obtained through the involvement of Polish diplomatic missions: the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, the Polish Cultural Institute in New York, and the Consulate General in Toronto.