The last room of the temporary exhibition “Chopin. The Power of a Symbol” in the Fryderyk Chopin Institute features one of the most famous portraits of the composer by Ary Scheffer. The canvas came to Warsaw from Dordrecht, the artist’s hometown. It can be seen in the Warsaw museum until 30 January 2022.
Over the years, this famous, idealized and compositionally uncomplicated image has evolved into a trademark with a powerful reach. One can become convinced about this while looking for references to the portrait – more or less processed – in other works presented at the exhibition: Marcin Maciejowski, Anna Piesiewicz, Robert Kuta, Anna Suwałowska, Jerzy Sacha, Piotr Micherewicz, or Agata Anna Gaber (Peperski).
The portrait’s presence in Poland will become a pretext for a discussion about its author. Ary Scheffer was one of many cultural figures from Chopin’s closest circle. Eugène Delacroix was also a close friend of the composer. Do we know which painter’s work he liked better?
The event is realized as part of the #YearofPolishRomanticism.
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
More about the exhibition
Visit the Institute’s website