Open again after a lengthy closure, this magnificent and historic exhibition inside the Cloth Hall covers Polish art from in and around the 19th century, and its major trends of portraiture and epic historical painting. Comprising four rooms, the collection is refreshingly small, giving proper attention to each piece, some of which are enormous and all of which are gorgeously framed. Of particular interest for their status as national treasures are the Italian-born, Polish-resident Marceli Bacciarelli's 'Portrait of Stanisław August Poniatowski in Coronation Dress' from around 1790 and, a century on, Władysław Podkowiński's famous 'Frenzy' from 1894. Other painters of note on display whose works shouldn't be missed include Jan Matejko, Jacek Malczewski, Józef Chełmoński and Stanisław Witkiewicz. One of the perks of a visit is access to the magnificent balcony overlooking the market square. Recommended.

Admission 12/6zł, family ticket 24zł, audioguide 5zł. Sun free for permanent exhibitions.

19th Century Polish Art Gallery comments Add Yours

• Larry Jones - Atlanta 04 April 2012
  An impressive collection of absolutely enormous canvases in exquisite gold frames. The historical paintings by Matejko and Malczewski will blow you away. You can feel the pride that Poland has in these works and the Cloth Hall is a suitable place to display them, the only drawback being the lighting. Unfortunately the galleries are very narrow and you have to stand far away from the giant canvases in order to not have a glare over part of them. This means you're practically standing in front of the painting on the other side of the gallery that others are trying to look at. Unlike many European art museums this one is small and easily digestible in one hour and despite the bad lighting I highly recommend it.