Warsaw. Bożena Wahl is dead. The Ministry of Culture informs about the death of an outstanding painter

Bożena Wahl is dead. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage informed about the death of an outstanding painter. The artist, together with her twin sister Alicja, founded one of the first private art galleries in Poland in Żoliborz. For years, she also sold pastels on the streets of the Old Town to collect funds for helping animals.

The Ministry of Culture gave information about the painter's departure on Tuesday morning. “We were very sad to receive a message about the death of Bożena Wahl – an outstanding painter, co -founder of one of the first private art galleries in Poland and animal activists. Her work and passion will forever remain in our memory” – emphasized the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Bożena Wahl was born in Warsaw in 1932. She was the twin sister of Alicja Wahl, also a painter. Both graduated from the Faculty of Painting of the Academy of Fine Arts in the studio of Eugeniusz Eibisch in 1957. From 1961, the artists staged together. At the first exhibition at Galeria Krzywe Koło presented ceramics, and on the next, drawing and painting. The works also showed outside Poland – in France, Germany, Sweden and the United States. Their paintings are in the collections of the National Museum.

They opened an art gallery in the Żoliborian house

In 1979, they founded Galeria AB Wahl in their home in Żoliborz. It was one of the first private art galleries in Warsaw. Wahl sisters exhibited the works of outstanding artists such as: Jan Lebenstein, Zdzisław Beksiński, Franciszek Starowieyski, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz “Witkacy”, Bruno Schulz, Jacek Waltoś.

In addition to drawing, painting, graphics and ceramics, Bożena Wahl and her sister created a scenery for the Cabaret of Elderly Gentlemen and performances of the TV Theater. They collaborated with the weekly “Kultura”, magazines “You and I”, “Szpilki” and with publishers as cartoonists and illustrators. Only in the early 1970s, their work became more separate. Bożena's palette was more and more focused on sadness and suffering.

In the early 1990s, Bożena Wahl took care of homeless animals. Once a month, she sold pastels on the streets of the Old Town in Warsaw – this is how she collected funds for animal care. Almost until the end of her life she ran a hostel in Boguszyce near Rawa Mazowiecka.

Her sister Alicja died in 2020.

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