Menu
Cart

News

MFN_Julia_Keilowa

Julia Keilowa: A Metalsmith for Modern Times.

,

Author event with Małgorzata Czyńska at Norblin Factory

On November 21 at 6:00 PM, a special author event will take place with Małgorzata Czyńska, author of the biography Julia Keilowa: A Metalsmith for Modern Times, in KinoGram Cinema (Hall 1). This is an opportunity to explore the life of an artist whose work in the interwar period became an enduring part of Polish design, lending everyday objects an elegant and modern style.

The book Julia Keilowa: A Metalsmith for Modern Times is a meticulously reconstructed account of a woman who revolutionized everyday objects, giving them a unique character. Julia Keilowa (1902–1943), long associated with Norblin Factory, created numerous designs—like the iconic Kula sugar bowl—that are now considered milestones of Polish design. This publication, partnered by our Museum, sheds new light on Keilowa’s work, presenting her within the context of European applied arts alongside names like Sonia Delaunay, Jutta Sika, and Sylvia Stave.

Małgorzata Czyńska, a respected author, journalist, and art historian, is known for her expertise in design criticism and as curator of numerous exhibitions. Her publications, including Kobro: A Leap into Space and Witkacy and Women, have gained acclaim in Poland and internationally. This biography of Julia Keilowa is a valuable addition to her body of work.

The event will be moderated by Marta Popławska, a journalist and culture enthusiast who is sure to foster an inspiring atmosphere for discussion.

We warmly invite all lovers of art history and Polish Art Deco to rediscover Julia Keilowa’s legacy and learn more about one of the most important figures in Polish design.

Free admission.

November 21, 2023, 6:00 PM
Hall 1, KinoGram Cinema, Norblin Factory

Julia Keilowa. Projektantka.

Art déco silver plated goods from the Norblin Factory

A new temporary exhibition in our Museum is made up of an exhibition of art déco style platters produced at the Norblin Factory in the 1930s. The factory offered them to customers who were open to modernity and originality. Norblin’s platters, sugar bowls and baskets in this style are characterised by their geometric form and rhythmic composition. Among the designers with whom the Norblin Factory collaborated in the interwar period were Julia Keilowa and Leon Szatzsznajder.

One of the objects that perfectly reflects the spirit of an era characterised by a vigorous pace of lifestyle changes, a love of what is innovative and a belief in progress and the potential of new technologies, is the Kula sugar bowl. It was designed by Keilová, around 1935, for the Norblin factory. Today, the sugar bowl is considered one of the masterpieces of Polish design.

The temporary exhibition presents plater pieces from the collection of the Norblin Factory Museum, from the collection of Adam Lej, as well as from the collection of the Museum of Warsaw.

It was the Museum of Warsaw that also provided the direct inspiration for this exhibition. From 21 March to 1 September, the exhibition “Julia Keilowa. Designer’, which tells the story of this outstanding Warsaw sculptor and metalworker, among other things, in the context of the emancipation of women designers and in relation to outstanding European female artists of the first half of the 20th century. The Norblin Factory Museum is a partner of the exhibition.

We encourage you to see the exhibition ‘Julia Keilowa. Designer”.

Details: www.muzeumwarszawy.pl/wystawa/julia-keilowa-projektantka/