“Paderewski's Gift” exhibition at the Interior Museum in Otwock Wielki

– “Paderewski's Gift” is a new permanent exhibition at the Interior Museum in Otwock Wielki, which is a branch of the National Museum in Warsaw. It will be presented in three rooms on the ground floor of the Bieliński family palace, which is the seat of the museum, said Anna Feliks, curator of the Interior Museum in Otwock Wielki. – The exhibition will feature selected objects from Paderewski's gift to the National Museum, which was made in his will in 1930, among others, for the National Museum. These gifts reached Poland only in 1954. The National Museum received works of art, personal souvenirs, music awards and a collection of oriental items, she added.

The museum's folder states: “The life of Ignacy Jan Paderewski is told through objects belonging to him. The most important state decorations and medals show him as a statesman involved in activities aimed at regaining independence by Poland. Musical instruments, including a Steinway & Sons piano, batons and cups with dedications from symphony orchestras remind us of Paderewski's musical genius, and a valuable collection of porcelain from China and Japan, worn-out travel trunks and a set of decorative souvenir spoons – about his interests and travels to various corners of the world.

The presented objects are divided into three thematic groups showing Paderewski from three sides – as a statesman, an outstanding musician and an ordinary man. One room will be devoted to the presentation of each of these topics.

– At the exhibition you will be able to see, among other things, a vase that Paderewski received from the Steinway family after his first concert tour, with a beautiful dedication and unusual in terms of form. A portrait of Helena Modrzejewska by Karol Miller and a miniature of the Grunwald monument will also be presented. This monument did not survive the war, but it was important to Paderewski because at its opening he gave a political speech, considered the moment when he became a politician from a virtuoso. A selection of oriental porcelain and a collection of spoons will also be shown, said Anna Feliks.

“This gift, a selection of which will be on display at the Interior Museum in Otwock Wielki, apart from its material and historic value, was also an act of patriotism,” said the communication and marketing department of the National Museum in Warsaw. On September 23, 1940, in his last radio speech before leaving Switzerland for the United States, Paderewski said: “I sacrificed my life for my homeland. I served it with all my heart and all my strength.”

The opening of the exhibition “Paderewski's Gift” will take place on April 25 at 18 at the Interior Museum (Otwock Wielki, ul. Zamkowa 49).

The exhibition was co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage.

The Interior Museum in Otwock Wielki was established in 2004 as a branch of the National Museum in Warsaw. It is located in the Bieliński family palace built at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries.