Witold-K / Witold Leszek KACZANOWSKI (1932 Warsaw – 2025 WarsawFigurative Composition, 1972
color lithograph on paper
signed and dated in pencil lower right: Witold-K 1972
marked lower left: épreuve d’artiste (artist’s proof)
sheet dimensions: 66 × 50 cm
Witold-K (Wit Leszek Kaczanowski, 1932–2025) – Polish-American painter, printmaker, sculptor, and photographer. He was born on May 15, 1932, in Warsaw, and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw under, among others, Eugeniusz Arct, Wojciech Fangor, and Henryk Tomaszewski.
Early in his career, he designed posters, illustrated short stories (including those by Stanisław Dygat), and created monumental murals—among the most important is the large composition on the vaulted ceiling of the auditorium at the Oświęcim Cultural Center (1959–1961).
From 1968 onward, he lived primarily in the United States, though he maintained strong ties to Poland. His signature works were the paintings from the “People” series—featuring small, nameless figures suspended in empty space, with an existential, often melancholic tone. He participated in dozens of solo and group exhibitions around the world; among others, he had a retrospective at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles (1973), as well as exhibitions at Zachęta, the Royal Łazienki, and the National Museum in Kraków.
He died on March 12, 2025, and was buried at Powązkowski Cemetery in Warsaw.
