Alfred Kowalski

Alfred Jan Maksymilian Kowalski (Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski; 11 October 1849 – 16 February 1915) was a Polish painter and representative of the Munich School.

Alfred Kowalski
Alfred Kowalski (1875)
Born
Alfred Jan Maksymilian Kowalski

11 October 1849
Suwałki,[1] Augustów Governorate, Kingdom of Poland
Died16 February 1915(1915-02-16) (aged 65)
Munich, German Empire
Resting placePowązki Cemetery
NationalityPolish
Known forPainting

Life

He was born on 11 October 1849 in Suwałki to father Teofil Kowalski of the Wieruszowa coat of arms and mother Teofilia (née Siewierska).

Wierusz-Kowalski settled in Munich in 1876 after studies in Warsaw, Prague, and Dresden.[1] He studied for a year at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts,[2] and worked under Józef Brandt and Alexander von Wagner.[1] In 1890 he was nominated as an honorary professor of the Munich Academy.

He was the most popular Polish painter in Munich, alongside Józef Brandt.[3] His paintings received medals at numerous art exhibitions and were sought-after by collectors and German art dealers.

He painted landscapes, generic and historical scenes. After his journey to Africa in 1903 he also undertook oriental themes. His works were sold mostly on the German market and many of them ended in private collections in Germany and the United States. Some of his paintings can be seen in collections of Polish museums. Kowalski's Lone Wolf was the most famous and one of his most reproduced paintings, which gained great popularity especially in the United States.[2][4]

He died on 16 February 1915 and was initially buried at the Munich Waldfriedhof Cemetery. His remains were later transferred to the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.[5]

In 1972, a permanent exhibition of his works was opened in the District Museum in Suwałki.[6]

Selected paintings
  • Lone Wolf
    Lone Wolf
  • Ulans Stop, 1877
    Ulans Stop, 1877
  • The Peasant Wedding, 1915, Private collection
    The Peasant Wedding, 1915, Private collection
  • A Pack of Wolves, Private collection
    A Pack of Wolves, Private collection
  • Evening Carriage Ride
    Evening Carriage Ride
  • Horse-drawn Sleigh, Private collection
    Horse-drawn Sleigh, Private collection
  • Scene in Morocco, National Museum in Wrocław
    Scene in Morocco, National Museum in Wrocław

See also

References
  1. Norman, Geraldine (1977). Nineteenth-century Painters and Painting: A Dictionary. University of California Press. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-0500232491.
  2. "Artysta – samotny wilk czy wprawny marketingowiec? Opowieść o życiu i malarstwie Alfreda Wierusza-Kowalskiego". Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  3. Gallery of Polish painting: Guide. Warsaw National Museum. 2006. p. 169.
  4. "Alfred Von Wierusz-Kowalski". Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  5. "Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski". Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  6. "Ekspozycja mistrza Wierusza w Suwałkach". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2020.


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