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Arthur Rubinstein, Zakopane

A work made of varnished carbon print.

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  • A work made of varnished carbon print.

Date:

1913/14

Artist:

Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz
Polish, 1885–1939

About this artwork

A brilliant and eccentric playwright, painter, and novelist, Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz also worked extensively with photography in 1910–14 and again around 1930. His intimate portraits of friends, such as the pianist Arthur Rubinstein, were taken at his family residence in Zakopane, a Galician vacation town. They concentrate on the inner spirit of the subject while pointedly ignoring conventional appearances; at times, as here, they seem even to blur distinctions between masculine and feminine posture or address. Prescient and daring, these portraits, made as gifts for friends, remained unexhibited and unpublished during Witkiewicz’s lifetime.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz

Title

Arthur Rubinstein, Zakopane

Place

Poland (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1913–1914

Medium

Varnished carbon print

Inscriptions

Unmarked recto; verso unchecked

Dimensions

Image/paper: 18 × 13 cm (7 1/8 × 5 1/8 in.); Mount: 25 × 17.1 cm (9 7/8 × 6 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Laura T. Magnuson Endowment

Reference Number

1994.44

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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