Tadeusz Kantor (1915-1990). Emballage, Cricotage and Madame Jarema
May 9 – November 22, 2026
The Starak Family Foundation presents Tadeusz Kantor (1915–1990). Emballage, Cricotage and Madame Jarema, a Collateral Event of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Ania Muszyńska, the exhibition marks the fifth presentation of Polish art in Venice organised by the Foundation, following acclaimed presentations of Ryszard Winiarski (2017), Ewa Kuryluk (2022), and Andrzej Wróblewski (2024).
The exhibition is devoted to the work and relationship of Tadeusz Kantor and Maria Jarema, two leading representatives of the post-war avant-garde. Internationally acclaimed, Kantor defined Polish artistic identity through his “Theater of Love and Death” – a universal spectacle that fascinated audiences from Europe to Asia and the Americas. In the field of visual arts, he was among the first in Poland to work with expressive abstraction in the spirit of informel, and the first to introduce assemblage, emballage, happening, and performance – making him one of the earliest interdisciplinary artists in the contemporary sense of the term.
The Venice presentation brings together the most significant threads of Kantor’s painting alongside original props and objects from his performances: a selection of informel compositions from the late 1950s and early 1960s, emballages from 1964–1978, and his final painting series Dalej już nic (Further On, Nothing) (1987–1990) and Cholernie spadam (I’m Goddamn Falling!) (1988–1990). The exhibition culminates in a projection of The Dead Class (1975) – Kantor’s masterpiece production – combined with original theatrical objects: mannequins of students, boys and girls, confined to school desks forever. Also on view is the film Uwaga, malarstwo (Attention, Painting), first presented at the 29th Venice Biennale, where it received a mention at the 1st International Art Film Competition.
A dedicated section of the exhibition is devoted to Maria Jarema (1908–1958), co-founder of the pre-war avant-garde theatre Cricot and of Cricot 2, and the only person whose opinion Kantor fully trusted. Their relationship – a fascination and intellectual partnership — was foundational to Cricot 2. An outstanding painter and sculpture, Jarema was awarded a prize at the Venice Biennale in 1958. The exhibition features monotypes from the Starak Collection and her costume designs for Kantor’s early theatre productions, Mątwa (The Cuttlefish) from 1956 and Cyrk (Circus) from 1957.
Photo: David Levene.