Zdzisław Stanek in his studio.

Zdzisław Stanek (1925–1996) a painter and sculptor, one of the founders of the Katowice avant-garde group St-53 in the 1950s, was considered one of the most interesting artists, ceaselessly experimenting and never yielding to any fashion or trend. Fascinated with the figure of Władysław Strzemiński and his theory of art, he tried to continue his explorations, constantly discovering new aspects of light in the painting.

His hard early years – the World War II, the underground, a labour camp, then a Stalinist prison – did not augur Stanek’s amazing career. Yet, they provided him with an amazing inner strength, necessary in an avant-garde artist, as well as with the ability to strive for his goals despite the circumstances, without conforming to, among others, the requirements of the market or to any temporary success.