Andrzej Pietsch (1932–2010) - Travelers VI – Yellow Curtain, 1971
Etching and color aquatint on paper.
Piece no. 11/50.
Dimensions of the work: 53 × 40 cm; with frame: 68 × 53.5 cm.
Signed and dated in pencil at the bottom right; title on the left, number in the center.
Framed in a silver-colored frame, with a mat, without glass.
Condition: the print is in very good condition. Signs of aging on the margins of the paper; visible localized discoloration on the lower margin. The mat is stained in places. Framed without glass.
Andrzej Pietsch (1932–2010)—graphic artist, rock climber, and mountaineer. He was born in 1932 in Kraków, where he graduated from the High School of Fine Arts. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (1951–58; graduated under Prof. Mieczysław Wejman). In 1986, he was awarded the title of full professor. He collaborated with several other universities in Poland (including those in Poznań, Katowice, Lublin, and Cieszyn), and from 1972 to 1978 he served as vice rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. By 1999, he had held approximately 70 solo exhibitions—about half of them abroad—and participated in over 200 group exhibitions. Over time, he became one of Poland’s most highly regarded printmakers; beginning in 1966, he received international awards. He worked in techniques such as intaglio, creating prints in several series, including “Actresses” (since 1964), “Travelers” and “Journeys” (since 1966), “Grasses” (since 1984), as well as (especially in his earlier work) mountain motifs. He also became a highly regarded educator (by 2000, eight of his students had become professors, and over 170 students had earned their degrees under his guidance). He served on numerous competition juries. Co-organizer of the “Kuźnica” cultural artists’ club. In 1969, he received the Ministry of Culture and Art Award, Third Class; he was a laureate of the City of Kraków Artistic Award (1974) and the Minister of Culture and Art Award (1975), as well as other awards and distinctions, including at the MBG in Kraków (1966, 1968, 1970), the International Print Biennial in Bradford (1976), and the International Print Biennial in Fredrikstad (1984). In 1999, he won the Equivalent Prize at the Biennial of Small Graphic Forms in Łódź. He died on November 30, 2010, and was buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków.
