Bitef

Józef Szajna, Polish painter, graphic artist, stage designer, theatre director, playwright and theatre theoretician, was born on March 13,1922 in Rzeszow. Together with many of his peers, he partidpated in thefamous fighting for Lvov against thè invading armies of Nazi Germany and Soviet Union, known as "September Campaign".

Because of his Jewish background, Józef Szajna tried to flee to thè West through Hungary, after Roland had been occupied. However, he was captured and extradited to thè Germans who sent him to Auschwitz. He spent thè rest of thè war years in Auschwitz and Buchenvald, five years in total.

When thè war ended and Szajna returned to his native Rzeszow, none of his relatives were stili alive. He graduated from high school and began his studies at Krakow Academy of Fine Arts, first as a Student of graphic design, and later stage design. After graduating, he worked for another ten years as a professor of stage design at thè same academy, and since thè early 1970's he taught thè same course at thè Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.

In Krakow, Szajna worked at thè National Theatre Nova Huta, as a stage designer, and later became its artistic director and generai manager. The purpose of this theatre, built on thè premises of one of thè largest Polish steel-works after thè war, was to educate thè workers. After thè changes in 1956, its repertoìre and its concept began to change, and Theatre Nova Huta became one of thè most avant-garde theatres in Roland. As a stage designer, Szajna collaborated on thè performance Akropolis with 13 Row Theatre, theatre of Jerzy Grotowski in Opol, with Old Theatre of Krakow, one of thè best until today, with Silesian Theatre in Katowica, Contemporary Theatre in Wroclaw, Polish Theatre in Warsaw, etc.

In thè early 1970'5, Józef Szajna moved to Warsaw, where he found Studio Art Centre in thè old Classical Theatre in thè Cultural Palace Building. Since Warsaw did not bave a Contemporary art museum, Józef Szajna, who always worked in many areas, founded Contemporary Art Gallery, within thè Studio, in which, besides his stage designs and paintings, was also exhibited thè artwork of greatest 20th Century Polish and world artists.