Collection of the Academy of Fine Arts

Collection of the Academy of Fine Arts
Targ Węglowy 6
80-836 Gdańsk
Tel. (58) 301 28 01
zbrojowniasztuki@asp.gda.pl
biblioteka@asp.gda.pl
www.asp.gda.pl
www.zbrojowniasztuki.pl
Free admission during the Academy’s office hours.
Library and Archives staff:
Library Director: Mariusz Wrona PhD
Custodian, Library Deputy Director: Anna Polańska MA
Staff: Monika Scharmach MA, Paulina Szymańska MA, Patrycja Kołodziejska MA

The Great Armoury (Wielka Zbrojownia) – the seat of the Academy – is located in the very centre of the historical Main City of Gdańsk. It was built on the initiative of the city authorities as a place for storing arms and ammunition, however, its architecture does not resemble a military facility, but instead constitutes part of the city’s public space. The length
of the facade is articulated by two prominent towers which are visible from ul. Piwna, therefore underlining the building’s exception to the architectural norms and its right to special treatment. The historical function of Gdańsk’s arsenal can now be perceived in a different context – it has become an Armoury of the Arts. It draws the attention
of a large number of people, contributes to increasing the viewer’s interest in culture, while satisfying its ambition to educate and promote the academy’s spheres of teaching. As the main seat of the Academy of Fine Arts, it is home to where art is born and where its lives. Its patron is Minerva, who assists in building a positive image of the artist’s difficult profession in the contemporary world. Art is expressed in many ways – through pictures, sculptures, ceramics, furniture, photographs… It is difficult to imagine the interiors of the Gdańsk Academy with bare white walls, vacant rooms and empty corridors. Since 1982, on the initiative of the then rector – Prof. Franciszek Duszeńko – through the
actions of the long-time library director and teacher – Teresa Sierant- Mikicicz – and Prof. Ludmiła Ostrogórska (rector of the academy in the years 2008–2016), who revived Prof. Duszeńko’s idea, up to the time of the current rector – Prof. Krzysztof Polkowski, work has continued to create and maintain the academy’s collection, which is displayed in the
Gallery of the Small Lecture Theatre (Galeria Małej Auli) and comprises the work of artists who have been or are connected with the academy. Every day the collection is expanded by new works which document
various stages of the academy’s history through different media. The gallery effectively promotes both the Academy of Fine Arts and the respective artists by exhibiting their works to the public. The words with which Prof. Franciszek Duszeńko expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to the academy’s prominent position in contemporary
culture underlie this very idea: ‘Wishing to acquaint students and younger generations with the staff – who are eminent artists and teachers at the Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts – I would like to establish a permanent gallery on the campus consisting of works by artists who through their talent, creativity and teaching work have contributed to its
existence, its individual artistic profile and its important place in Polish culture.’ Since 2017, on the initiative of the deputy rector, Prof. Adam Kamiński, a Design Gallery has been functioning in parallel to the Gallery of the Small Lecture Theatre, in the passage of the Armoury of the Arts, comprising objects relating to ‘Art, Design and Culture’. The completed projects on display in the Design Gallery, which consist of works by artists connected with the academy and presenting contemporary industrial design and related works, have one common denominator – their forms are all as attractive as possible. The desire to imbue utilitarian objects with beauty is the direct effect of the need to adapt them to the space and location in which they are to be used. Our well-being and mood – i.e. the user’s physical and emotional state – depend on the form of objects.
Architecture and design have an impact on our immediate surroundings – our home, workplace, public space, the shape of a piece of furniture, dishes, and our clothing. The role of artists who actively participate in the construction of the functional world cannot be overestimated. They are required to understand and anticipate the impact of their completed
projects.