Lot 27AR
ZOFIA STRYJEŃSKA(1891-1976)Harvest
Ending from 28 November 2025, 12:00 GMT
Online, London, New Bond Street£10,000 - £15,000
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Adelaide Dunn
Associate Specialist, Head of Sale
ZOFIA STRYJEŃSKA (1891-1976)
Harvest
signed 'Z Stryieńska' (lower left)
gouache on canvas laid down on card
48 x 35.7cm (18 7/8 x 14 1/16in).
signed 'Z Stryieńska' (lower left)
gouache on canvas laid down on card
48 x 35.7cm (18 7/8 x 14 1/16in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Private collection, Poland (acquired directly from the artist).
Private collection, UK (by descent from the above).
Zofia Stryjeńska was a pioneering Polish artist who fused folk traditions with an avant-garde vision, becoming an icon of interwar Polish art. Her vibrant, dynamic compositions drew on Polish - especially highlander - folklore, blending stylised modernist motifs, Secessionist lines, and a joyous, nationalistic energy that celebrated Poland's cultural renewal.
The present work, like many of Stryjeńska's works from the 1940s and 1950s, depicts a young girl in a folkloric costume, capturing the charm and vitality of Polish folk tradition. While decorative in its vivid colours and composition, the portrait also conveys a thoughtful reflection on Poland's cultural and national identity.
The 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris was a landmark moment for Polish art and design, offering the newly independent nation a high profile platform to assert its cultural identity and modern vision on the world stage. Zofia Stryjeńska played a central role in this presentation: she supplied a series of large scale decorative panels for the Polish pavilion and captured international attention with her rich folk inspired imagery, earning multiple Grand Prix awards for her contributions. Her work at the exhibition exemplified a successful fusion of Polish folk tradition with the prevailing Art Deco aesthetic, helping to position Polish design as both modern and nationally distinct.