European Art Gallery (MNK)

Name: European Art Gallery (MNK)
Start: 2025-12-06
End: 2030-12-31
Location: Kraków National Museum (MNK), Main Building

Dec 6 - Dec 31 2030 Al. 3 Maja 1

EMILIO FIASCHI (1858–1941), Bust of a Woman with a Hat and Veil, Italy, between 1910 and 1915. Provenance unknown, gift

OTTO MARSEUS VAN SCHRIECK (1619/1620–1678), Thistles and Butterflies (Sottobosco), Netherlands, circa 1670. From the collection of the Tarnowski family of Dzików, purchased in 2012.

JAN VAN GOYEN (1596–1656), The Skating Rink, The Hague, before 1636. From the collection of Stanisław Ursyn-Rusiecki, gift: 1939

DIRCK VAN BABUREN (c. 1595/1595–1624) [imitator], The Denial of Saint Peter Netherlands, Utrecht, first half of the 17th century. From the collection of the Tarnowski family of Dzików, purchased in 2012

GUSTAV VIGELAND (1869–1943), The Kiss, Norway, 1897. From the collection of Feliks Jasieński, gift: 1920

JAN VAN OS (1744–1808). Bouquet of Flowers, Netherlands, circa 1800. Deposit

This new permanent exhibit at the Main Building of the Kraków National Museum (MNK) showcases the best and most interesting works of European painting and sculpture from the museum's vast collection. Deliberately presenting these works - created between the 13th and 20th centuries - in reverse chronological order, the gallery explores the changes that have taken place in the world since the Middle Ages. The exhibit includes over a hundred works, including those by outstanding sculptors Antonio Canova and Gustav Vigeland, as well as paintings by Paolo Veneziano, Lorenzo Lotto, Lavinia Fontana, Pieter Brueghel the Younger, Lucas Cranach the Younger, Luca Giordano, Mattia Preti, Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun and Maurice de Vlaminck. In the last room visitors will see Spanish Madonnas - some of the most valuable and spectacular works from the period of Romanesque art.

Interestingly, the collection of European art at the MNK came about somewhat by accident. The institution, founded in 1879, was supposed to collect primarily works of Polish art and those related to the history of Poland, but with the caveat that it “may acquire excellent specimens of foreign art.” Works of European art in the MNK collection have mostly come in the form of gifts, usually forming part of larger legacies, including, for example, modern Polish painting or works of artistic crafts. For this very reason, the museum's collection of European art is characterized by great diversity, but also by randomness.

Tours of the exhibit

Special tours of the exhibit are arranged for the opening on December 6 & 7. Reservations are required and can be made by phone only: (+48) 12 43 35 744. Reservationa available from December 1, 2025, starting at 09:00. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office on the day of the event. One person can reserve a maximum of 4 places.

December 6, 2025; 12:00-13:00.
Fragments of the past. A story about the long life of works of art – themed tour.

December 6, 2025; 14:00-15:00.
Curator-led tour. European Art Gallery

December 7, 2025; 12:00-13:00.
High Noon – Sunday curator-led tour. European Art Gallery

December 7, 2025; 14:00-15:00.
Curator's tour. European Art Gallery