Barbara Rosiak (born March 3, 1955, in Lodz, Poland) is a Polish graphic artist and painter. She is known for her various types of paintings, utilizing techniques such as intaglio printing, color etching (sometimes with aquatint), as well as soft varnish. Other painting types include watercolor paintings and pastel paintings. Throughout her career, she has held 30 solo exhibitions and has participated in over 100 group exhibitions and competitions worldwide. She currently lives and works in her hometown of Lodz, Poland.
Career Rosiak studied at the Faculty of Painting and Graphic Arts of the State Higher School of Fine Arts (PWSSP) (known today as the Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts) in Lodz, Poland from 1974 to 1979. She specialized primarily in printmaking. She later earned a diploma of distinction from the intaglio studio of Professor Leszek Rozga and an award in painting from the studio of Professor Stanisław Fijałkowski in 1979.
Style
Her compositions incorporate themes that are elaborate and symbolic, showcasing landscapes or vedutas. Her compositions also combine architectural motifs and figurative models from ancient paintings (Madonnas, nudes, etc.), as well as decorative details and ornaments from various historical periods such as the Baroque and Renaissance era, often depicted in odd perspectives. She has also created her own bookplates.
Solo exhibitions
1979 KMPiK – Club – Łódź 1980 "GP" Gallery – Warsaw Gallery Bö Landsjö – Malmö "Chimera" Gallery – BWA – Łódź Gallery "Gimle Kunstsirkel" – Oslo 1981 Gallery Forni – Amsterdam Gallery Tullgatan 1 – Malmö 1983 PSP Gallery – Toruń Gallery "Samlargrafik" – Kristianstad 1984 Religious Art Gallery – PAX – Łódź Polish Information and Culture Center – Sofia KMPiK – Club – Poznań BWA Gallery – Konin 1985 Main Library Gallery – WSP Zielona Góra 1986 Euroart Gallery – Ottawa BWA Gallery – Leszno 1986 Scheltema Boekhandel – Amsterdam 1987 JA Baruch Gallery – Chicago 1988 Graphics and Poster Gallery 72 – Poznań 1990 K. Napiórkowska Gallery – Old Market Square, Warsaw 1991 "Aneks" Graphics and Poster Gallery – Poznań 1994 Art Gallery – Department of Culture and Education, Szczecinek 1997 Pastoral Care Center for Creative Communities – Łódź 1998 "Chimera – Villa" Gallery – BWA – Łódź 2000 Gallery "Samlargrafik" – Fjalkinge 2001 Art Gallery – 6th Branch of PKO BP Łódź 2002 Exlibris Gallery – Podgórze Cultural Center – Kraków 2006 K. Napiórkowska Gallery – Old Town Square, Warsaw 2008 Ars Nova Gallery – Exhibition Hall, Łódź 2014 Exhibition and Lecture – University of the Third Age at the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy – Łódź 2017 – 2018 Retrospective Exhibition of Graphics and Paintings on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of creative work – Mirror Room and Main Hall at the Museum of the City of Lodz – Łódź
Major exhibitions in Poland
8th and 10th International Graphic Art Biennial in Krakow – BWA, Krakow. 1980, 1983 Small Graphic Forms – BWA / Municipal Art Gallery, Łódź. 1981, 1983, 1985, 1999, 2002, 2005, 2011 "INTERART" Art Fair – BWA, Poznań. 1985 Łódź Spring Salon – BWA, Łódź. 1986 International Biennial of Contemporary Exlibris – Malbork Castle Museum. 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000 International Triennial "MEZZOTINTA" – BWA, Sopot. 1988 Biennial of Small Graphic Forms and Exlibris – Ostrów Wielkopolski City Museum – Town Hall, Ostrów Wielkopolski. 1991, 2001, 2005 1st Baltic Countries Graphic Art Triennial – Abbots' Palace, City Hall, Gdańsk – Oliwa. 1992 International Exhibition of Small Graphic Forms "Kontakt / 93" - Voivodeship Cultural Center, Toruń. 1993 Lodz Art Presentations – BWA, Lodz. 1994 National Exhibition "Contemporary Polish Exlibris" – District Museum, Rzeszów. 1995 International Exlibris Graphic Competition – Municipal Public Library, Gliwice. 1997, 1999, 2001, 2005 Wrocław Exlibris and Small Graphic Forms – Pod Plafonem Gallery. Municipal Public Library, Wrocław. 1999 4th and 5th Krakow Biennial of Polish Exlibris – Voivodeship Public Library, Podgórze Cultural Center, Krakow. 2000, 2002 3rd Lublin Forum of Small Graphics: "Art – Education" – Vetter Gallery, MDK, Lublin. 2002 Interdisciplinary exhibition as part of the Warsaw Art Festival: "In the Shadow of the Cathedrals" – Steel Forest Gallery, Stara Papiernia, Konstancin Jeziorna. 2006 Small Graphics Forum – Faculty of Fine Arts, Catholic University of Lublin, “Pod Podłogą” Gallery, Lublin. 2007 Interdisciplinary exhibition as part of the Night of Museums "Autographs" - Polish Academy of Sciences Archives - Staszic Palace, Warsaw. 2010 Group exhibition accompanying the 14th Triennial of Small Graphic Forms: "Łódź – City of Graphics" – Art Propaganda Center, Łódź, 2011 "Leszek Rózga – Professor and Adepts" – Kobro Gallery, Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, 2014 10th International Graphic Competition for Exlibris 'GLIWICE 2014' - Municipal Public Library in Gliwice. 2014 15th INTERNATIONAL TRENNIAL OF SMALL GRAPHIC FORM – Municipal Art Gallery “WILLA” – Łódź. 2014 "Leszek Rózga – Professor and Adepts" – University Gallery of the Institute of Art – Faculty of Arts, University of Silesia – Cieszyn. 2015 Exhibition of Łódź Bookplates – Municipal Art Gallery in Łódź – "CHIMERA" Gallery. Łódź. 2016
Worldwide exhibitions
ART EXPO – Ars Polona DESA organization, New York, USA. 1980 Small Graphic Forms – Ars Polona DESA organization. Gallery Depolma, Düsseldorf, Germany. 1981 Art Fair "MUBA" – organized by Ars Polona DESA, Zurich, Basel, Switzerland 1981, 1983 Polish Color Graphics – exhibition entitled "Landscape" – organized by CBWA. Caracas, Venezuela 1982 Polish Graphic Miniature – organized by BWA. Polish Institute, Stockholm, Sweden 1983 Exhibition of 10 Young Polish Graphic Artists – Cultural Center, Bourges, France 1984 Colorful Graphics from Poland – Århus, Lolland, Falsters, Copenhagen, Fredriksberg, Denmark 1984 Polish Graphic Arts – organized by BWA. Gallery Otomo, Osaka, Nagoya, Towo Art Center, Tokyo, Japan 1984 Polish Art – BWA organization. Steyer–Daimler-Benz Auto Show Vienna, Austria 1985 "Art Never Seen" Exhibition – Euroart Gallery, Ottawa, Canada. 1985 International Graphic Arts Salon – Palais de la Beaujoire, Nantes, France 1985 Łódź Graphic Art Exhibition – organized by BWA / Łódź. National Museum, Tampere, Finland 1986 Polish Landscape – Interdisciplinary Exhibition – CBWA Organization. Rabat, Morocco. 1986 Annual International Exhibition Of Miniature Art – Del Bello Gallery. Toronto. Canada. 1986, 1987 XXII & XXIII Prix International D'Art Contemporain de Monte Carlo – Musee National. Monte-Carlo, Monaco 1988, 1989 Salon of Eastern European Art – Town Art Gallery, Damme, Netherlands. 1989 II Festival International de Gravue de / Menton Les Pays De/L/East – Musee de Prehistoire Regionale. Menton. France. 1989 International Art Competition: “Art Horizons” – Gallery 52. Soho. New York. USA. 1989 XXIII International Exlibris Congress – Mönchengladbach, Germany. 1990 "Small is Beautiful" – Exhibition of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Polish Institute. Paris, France. 1990 Internationale Biennale Of Small Graphic & Exlibris: “Eros” – Stadhuis, Sint Niklaas. Belgium. – 1991 "Utopie sains illusion" – Competition for the 700th Anniversary of the Founding of Switzerland. Book Publication. Atelier Contraste, Fribourg, Switzerland. 1991 International Exlibris Congress – Dajmaru Fuji – Department Store, Sapporo. Japan. 1992 International Competition: "Exlibris etching for the 400th anniversary of the birth of Jacques Callot" – Metiatheque – Municipal Library, Nancy, France. 1992 XVII International Independent Exhibition of Prints – Kanagawa Prefecture Gallery Auction, Yurino Stationery House Gallery. Yokohama. Japan. 1992, 1995 Concorso Internationale: "Exlibris Cristoforo Colombo 1492 - 1992, 500th Anniversary" - Palazzo Serra Gerace. Genova. Italy. 1992 10th Jubilaumus Triennial schedule – Stadsaal. Frechen. Germany. 1993 II & III International Exhibition Of Prints – Ino-Cho Paper Museum. Kochi. Japan. 1993, 1996 I Internationale Grafik Biennale Maastricht – Exhibition & Congress – Center (MECC), Maastricht. Netherlands. 1993 British International Miniature Print Exhibition – City Gallery, Leicester off Centre Gallery. Bristol, UK. 1994 XIII Biennial of Print Art – Ibiza – Museo de Arte Contemporareiro de Ibiza – Ibiza. Balearic Islands. Spain. 1994 II International Exhibition & Publication – Taiwan Exlibris Club, National Central Library, Taipei. Taiwan. 1994 11th International Grafik Triennial – Stadtsaal. Frechen. Germany – 1996 International Graphic Competition: "Il Giubileo en il Nuovo Millennio" - Palazzo Sirena. Francavilla Al Mare. Italy. 2000 XXVIII International Exlibris Congress: "FISAE" – Boston, Massachusetts, 2000 1st Qingdao Biennial of Print & Exhibition – Qingdao Art Gallery. Qingdao, China 2000 1st International Print Biennale in Beijing – Beijing Yan Huang Art Gallery, Beijing, China 2003 Contemporain Art Fair – "ST-ART" – Congress. Strasbourg, France. 2004, 2005, 2006 Exhibition of works by Polish graphic masters – organizers: Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos – VIENTIAN Center / National Museum. Laos. 2012 "Between Heaven and Earth" – Exhibition of graphics from the collection of the Municipal Art Gallery in Łódź. MUSEUM OF EASTERN AND WESTERN ART in Odessa, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Odessa. Polish Institute in Kyiv. Ukraine. 2018
Awards
1980 First prize in the religious art competition in the graphics department – PAX Gallery in Łódź, Poland 1985 First prize of the "Smok" gallery in the "Eroticism in Graphic Miniature" competition - Municipal Galleries in Słubice and Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland 1987 Honorable Mention in the 10th Open Graphics Competition. BWA Municipal Gallery in Łódź, Poland 1991 First Prize and Special Prize of the Municipal Museum in the 4th Biennial of Small Graphics and Exlibris – Museum of Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland 1992 Honorable Mention in the International Bookplate Competition for the 400th Anniversary of the Birth of Jacques Callot – Nancy Municipal Library, France 1999 Third Prize in the 3rd International Contemporary Exlibris Competition – Gliwice Municipal Library. Poland 2000 Honorary Medal at the 4th Krakow Biennial of Contemporary Exlibris – Krakow Municipal Library. Poland 2000 Honorable Mention at the 1st International Graphic Art Biennial "New Millennium Jubilee" – Sirena Palace in Francavilla al Mare, Italy 2000 Silver Medal at the Graphic Arts Biennial, Qingdao Municipal Art Gallery, China 2003 Honorable Mention and Tai-He Master Prize at the 1st Beijing International Print Biennial. International Exchange Center and Yan Huang Gallery, Beijing, China
Museums/galleries featuring her work
BWA (Office of Artistic Exhibitions) – Łódź – (currently) Municipal Art Gallery CBWA (Central Bureau of Artistic Exhibitions) – Warsaw BWA – Konin, Leszno, Toruń, Poznań National Museum – Szczecin, Toruń National Museum – Print Room – Poznań Library of the Higher Pedagogical School – Zielona Góra Forestry Museum – Forest Culture Centre – Gołuchów Castle Museum – Malbork, Poland Ostrów Wielkopolski City Museum Abbots Museum – Gdańsk – Oliwa Musee National – Monte-Carlo, Monaco Stadt Museum – Sint-Niklaas, Belgium Collection of Atelier Contraste – Fribourg, Switzerland Mediatheque – Municipal Library – Nancy, France Collections of the Prefecture Gallery – Kanagawa – Yokhama, Japan Ino-Cho Parer Museum – Kochi, Japan Museo De Arte Contemporareiro – Ibiza, Balearic Islands, Spain National Central Library - Taipei. Taiwan. Collections of the Stadtsaal – Frechen, Germany Collection Gallery 52 – Soho – New York, United States Collection of the Del Bello Gallery – Toronto, Canada Collections of Tilbury's Gallery – Sint Truiden, Belgium