Bidspirit auction | AN OIL ON CANVAS PAINTING

AN OIL ON CANVAS PAINTING BY ZBYLUT GRZYWACZ (POLISH, 1939–2004), FIGURE WITH FLOWERS, 1974 - A powerful and expressive composition characteristic of Zbylut Grzywacz’s mature style, this painting depicts a monumental standing nude figure holding a bouquet of gray and white flowers. The woman’s elongated body, tilted perspective, and slightly distorted proportions create an unsettling sense of psychological tension, typical of the artist’s existential and humanistic concerns. The figure dominates the canvas, viewed from a low vantage point that emphasizes her upward thrust and towering presence. The palette is restrained, composed of muted greens, grays, pinks, and flesh tones, interrupted by flashes of red that evoke both vitality and vulnerability. The bouquet, rendered in dynamic impasto strokes of black, white, and gray, appears to dissolve into abstraction, contrasting with the smooth, pale modeling of the figure’s body. Grzywacz’s expressive brushwork, soft modeling of form, and interplay between figuration and abstraction reflect his ongoing dialogue with postwar European Expressionism and the Polish figurative avant-garde of the 1960s and 1970s. The sense of solitude, moral ambiguity, and the tension between the corporeal and spiritual mark this as a quintessential work by the artist. Zbylut Grzywacz (1939–2004) was a major Polish painter, sculptor, and printmaker, co-founder of the Grupa Wprost (The Direct Group) in Kraków in 1966. His work focused on the human condition in postwar Poland, exploring existential and social issues through expressionist distortion and psychological symbolism. A graduate of the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, Grzywacz was a professor there for many years, influencing generations of Polish artists. His works are held in major collections, including the National Museum in Kraków and the National Museum in Warsaw, and he represented Poland at numerous international exhibitions. Provenance: From the Collection of Turi Fedele, Este, Italy, founder and director of the Centro Culturale Estense and Centro Culturale La Medusa. Fedele was a key promoter of Eastern European graphic and fine art in Italy from the 1960s through the 1990s, organizing important exhibitions featuring Polish, Czech, and Romanian artists, among them Wejman, Jackowski, Karwachi, Kotkowski, and Grzywacz. Signed lower right, illegibly, 1974. Please make all inquiries before bidding. All lots are sold ”as-is”, refer to our T&C. Helios Auctions offers in-house shipping. In case we can not accommodate a shipping request, a list of additional shippers will be provided. Please note that this lot is located in Europe and will be shipped to the winner from our European warehouse. Dimensions: 39 1/2 x 25 1/2 in., (100 x 65 cm.) Condition: The painting appears in very good condition overall. The surface shows minor age-related craquelure and faint tension cracks consistent with age. The paint layer is stable and well-preserved, with strong color retention. The canvas remains well-stretched on its original support, and the frame is in good condition with minor wear.