Tribute to Prof. Huml
Would the history of contemporary Polish jewellery be the same without professor Irena Huml’s contribution? Perhaps it would, but... I dare to doubt it. However, I have no doubts that nobody has done as much as she has for the reception and promotion of contemporary Polish artistic jewellery during the last fifty years. Trying to name her role and work in this field I find no better name than “phenomenon.” [T]he ‘case’ of professor Huml is absolutely exceptional: throughout her scholarly career not only did she broadly and carefully study contemporary jewellery, but she also popularized it in an incredibly effective and consistent way, and even animated exhibition activities around it. Her critical language revealed and visualised to every recipient the values of works being discussed and, at the same time, inspired, confirmed or encouraged artists to change their thinking about their creative activities. Irena Huml’s role in popularizing jewellery cannot be overestimated. It is thanks to her that the word ‘silver’ became a synonym of contemporary Polish jewellery!
Zbigniew Kraska (from the introduction to: Irena Huml ARS ARGENTI, Legnica 2014)
The exhibition is dedicated to Prof. Irena Huml, who died in 2015. Prof. Huml was a critic, an art historian and author of hundreds of texts, articles and reviews. For several years she collaborated with the Gallery of Art in Legnica and the goldsmiths’ community.
Participants of the exhibition:
Andrzej Bandkowski, Andrzej Boss, Lucyna & Marek Nieniewski, Jarosław Westermark, Antek Zaremski, Ewa Zaremska, Łukasz Zaremski, Marcin Zaremski, Tomasz Zaremski, Jadwiga & Jerzy Zaremski, Hanna & Jacek Zdanowski
Irena Huml
Prof., Ph.D., art historian and critic. The author of ca 500 studies, articles, reviews in numerous national and international journals; wrote introductions to exhibitions' catalogues, chapters in non-serial publications and books, among others: Polish Applied Art of the 20th Century (1978), Contemporary Polish Fabric (1989), The Art of Object, The Object of Art (2003). Since her graduation from the University of Warsaw, she was connected with the Art Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, where she gave the doctoral seminar on Interior Design and Artistic Craft. She was a member of the Art Historians’ Association, a jury member and the author of texts in Legnica competitions.
A person of exceptional merit for the reception and promotion of Polish contemporary goldsmithery and for Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER, which she was connected with since the very beginning of silver shows. She cooperated with the organizers in many roles: she inspired the subject matter of exhibitions, she advised, she was a jury member, she wrote articles and critical texts for the catalogues, she exercised scientific patronage of theoretical sessions. In recognition of her contribution to Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER, she was honoured by the City Council of Legnica with the badge of Merit for the City of Legnica.
Andrzej Bandkowski Andrzej Boss
Jarosław Westermark Marcin Zaremski
Łukasz Zaremski Lucyna and Marek Nieniewski
Antek Zaremski Hanna and Jacek Zdanowski
Ewa Zaremska Jadwiga and Jerzy Zaremski
