Józef Mehoffer

b. 1869, Ropczyce, d. 1946, Wadowice

Polish painter and graphic artist, creator of stained glass, one of the most outstanding representants of Polish Art Nouveau. He was a member of the Mehhofer Family, Polonized Austrian officials. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow and the Academies in Vienna and Paris. His work includes many painting, drawing and graphics techniques (including easel painting, crayon, etching, aquatint, autolithography). He is recognized as a master of Polish Art Nouveau because of the ornamental graphics: the artist created book covers, bookplates, posters, trademarks and banknotes. He was known and valued as a portraitist: in the case of portraits of historical figures, he painted authentic period costumes. Next to Józef Fałat, Jacek Malczewski or Stanisław Wyczółkowski, he was a co-founder of the "Art" Society of Polish Artists.

Important achievements:
- Polychrome of the Wawel treasury (in cooperation with Jan Talaga)
-Polychrome of the vault of the Lviv Armenian Cathedral
- Making stained glass in the Wawel cathedral
- A design of a 100-zloty banknote which was used in 1932.