Jan Lebenstein

Jan Lebenstein lived from 1930 to 1999. He graduated from the State Art High School and then the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied in 1948-1954 under Artur Nacht-Samborski.

He made his debut at the Arsenal in Warsaw in 1955. A year later, he joined the Theater on Tarczyńska, run in his own apartment by Miron Białoszewski, and had his first individual exhibition there. Shortly afterwards, he went on a four-week scholarship to Paris, where in 1959 he received the Grand Prix de Paris at the 1st Youth Biennial. From that year he remained in this city, and in 1971 he acquired French citizenship.

In 1976, he was awarded the prize of the New York Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation. In 1977, his first large solo exhibition took place in Poland, he showed his works in Wrocław. In 1987 he received the Award. Jan Cybis. In 1992, the largest exhibition of his works in Poland took place - at Zachęta in Warsaw. He was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in recognition of outstanding achievements in artistic work and contributions to Polish culture.

He was buried at the Powązki Cemetery.

He practiced an original form of figurative painting, incorporating surreal and abstract elements. He illustrated, among others: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell and several biblical books (the Books of Genesis, the Book of Job, the Apocalypse of St. John - twice: as a series of stained glass windows and graphics). He created city landscapes, poetic transpositions of the human figure, and expressive fantasy-symbolic compositions with animal motifs.