Zofia MATUSZCZYK-CYGAŃSKA (1914–2011), STILL LIFE WITH A GLASS, 1955

Oil on canvas, 55 x 56 cm,
signed lower right: “ZMC,” artist’s inscription on the reverse.
Tape on the sides of the painting. Condition: minor chips in the paint.



Zofia MATUSZCZYK-CYGAŃSKA ( 1914–2011)
Textile designer and painter. In 1933, she began studying mathematics at the University of Warsaw; a year later, she transferred to the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. After graduating in 1939, she joined the “Ład” cooperative, serving as its artistic director from 1950 to 1954. She was one of the most active designers, participating in 265 exhibitions in Poland and abroad and winning numerous awards and honors. At the same time, she was active as a painter and educator. Her painting and weaving practices were intertwined—her characteristic motif of colorful checkerboards drew on weaving techniques, and the jacquard fabrics she designed were distinguished by their delicate patterns and subdued color palette. She was affiliated with the Warsaw chapter of the Association of Polish Fine Artists (ZPAP). Her textiles adorned, among other places, the Palace of Culture and Science, the Warsaw Philharmonic, and the Kazimierzowski Palace. The artist’s works are held in museum collections in Poland and abroad. In 2023, the National Museum in Kraków acquired ten of her textiles in connection with the exhibition “Zofia Matuszczyk-Cygańska—Textile Exhibition.”