Caziel Polish/British, 1906-1988
WC243 - Composition no. 45, 1955
Oil on canvas
132 x 58 cm
Signed and dated verso
Caziel Estate Inventory number WC243
Caziel Estate Inventory number WC243
The Caziel Estate, Courtesy of Whitford Fine Art
Caziel was born in Sosnowiec, in Russian-occupied Poland in 1906 and a attended the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1931 to 1936. Here the influence of the French Post-Impressionist...
Caziel was born in Sosnowiec, in Russian-occupied Poland in 1906 and a attended the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1931 to 1936. Here the influence of the French Post-Impressionist movement was omnipresent. Revered masters amongst the students, and significant influences on Caziel’s early development as a painter, included Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne and Henri Matisse. Many works from this period show a clear Cézannesque approach in both technique and colour, while his Fauvist ballet designs evoke the spirit of Matisse’s La Danse (1910). In many of his Polish-period works, Caziel combined the Post-Impressionist vocabulary with imagery and stylistic elements drawn from Polish folklore, which he greatly admired.
Caziel’s long-held dream of moving to Paris blossomed in 1937, when a bursary opened the city’s doors to him. Two years later, Édouard Vuillard personally intervened with the Polish authorities, ensuring Caziel could continue to call Paris home.
When Germany declared war in 1939, Caziel stepped forward to join the Polish army in France. After the Franco-German Armistice of 1940 led to the army’s disbandment, Caziel and his Jewish wife, the painter Lutka Pink, were forced to escape. They found refuge in Aix-en-Provence, welcomed by Blaise Cendrars, and lingered there on and off until autumn 1946. Immersed in the spirit of the region, Caziel delved deeply into Cézanne’s legacy, honoring the master through a series of nudes distinguished by bold contours, striking depth and perspective, and a pared-back palette. Inspired by Cézanne, he too turned his gaze to Mont Sainte-Victoire, capturing its presence in a series of intimate oils.
During his time in Aix, Caziel crossed paths with Le Corbusier, sparking lively exchanges about blending painting and architecture. His innate sense of proportion had already brought him acclaimed fresco commissions in Poland. When he returned to Paris in 1946, he was entrusted with designing the Polish pavilion for the UNESCO International Exhibition of Modern Art.
Although the Polish government offered Caziel several significant teaching positions, he chose to remain in Paris to ensure Lutka did not return to Poland, where her entire family had perished at Auschwitz. Despite the difficulties of post-war Paris, Caziel was motivated by his pursuit of a new pictorial space and continued to paint extensively.
In his pursuit of a new visual dimension, where line and colour projected the picture plane forward rather than flattening it, Caziel’s career gained momentum. His first solo exhibition at Galerie Allard in 1947 was followed by an invitation to exhibit at the Salon de Mai, alongside artists such as Picasso, Hans Hartung, Victor Vasarely, and Alfred Manessier.
In 1948, the Polish government asked Caziel to present Pablo Picasso with a traditional Polish coat made from the pelt of black Polish heath sheep. Caziel dutifully visited Picasso’s studio on the Rue des Augustins, where he was warmly received. The two men bonded immediately over their shared love of Polish folk art and their experiences as immigrants unable to return to their homelands. To Caziel’s surprise, Picasso was then working on a portrait of his son Claude based on a design Caziel had created for the catalogue of the 1948 UNESCO exhibition.
Between 1948 and 1952, Caziel and Picasso developed a close friendship, spending summers together in Juan-les-Pins, where they drew caricatures of each other. In 1948, Caziel's stylistic preoccupations were divided - strong lyrical and expressive compositions, much indebted to Picasso, alternated with works revealing his quest for Abstraction.
In 1951, Caziel largely abandoned figuration and joined the Groupe Espace, whose mission was to unite Constructivist art with architecture in pursuit of a new visual environment suited to modern society. The renowned art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler invited Caziel to join his stable of figurative artists, led by Picasso, under the assumption that Caziel’s abstract work was merely an experiment. However, Caziel declined the offer, choosing instead to remain committed to abstraction for the rest of his life.
By 1952, Lutka had left for the United States and Caziel fell madly in love with the young Scottish painter Catherine Sinclair, with whom he started a new life in Ponthévrard just outside of Paris. They married in 1957 and a year later their daughter Clementina was born.
Throughout his Parisian years, Caziel stood at the vibrant center of the ‘Ecole de Paris’. His move to Ponthévrard marked not a conclusion, but the dawn of a bold new chapter in his relentless pursuit of artistic excellence. His canvases transformed, brimming with precise geometric patterns that heralded the pure abstraction of his 1960s work. These striking abstractions found a regular stage at London’s Grabowski Gallery. In 1969, Caziel and Catherine set down new roots in Britain, where he would later become a naturalised citizen in 1975.
A major retrospective of his work was hosted by the National Museum in Warsaw in 1998.
Whitford Fine Art has represented the Caziel Estate since 1994, and started their commitment to Caziel with a substantial retrospective exhibition in 1995.
Public collections include
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris
National Museum, Warsaw
Vatican Museum, Rome
Łódź Museum of Modern Art, Łódź
Bibliography
MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998.
PERRY, Jenny. The Grand Play of Light. The Art & Life of Caziel. London, 1997.
Caziel, exhibition catalogue Grabowski Gallery, London, 1968.
Caziel, exhibition catalogue Grabowski Gallery, London, 1966.
MADDOX, Conroy, ‘Caziel’, Arts Review, 14 May 1966.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020, Caziel, Selected Pastel and Crayon Works from 1965, Whitford Fine Art, London.
2018, Caziel: Paintings 1963- 1967, Lacerated Rhythms, Whitford Fine Art, London
2017, Caziel: Abstraction Explored, Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
2014, Caziel: Espace - Abstraction, Francis Maere Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium
2014, Caziel: Forever Yours, Whitford Fine Art, London
2010, Caziel: Drawings and Watercolours 1935 - 1952, The Paris Years, Whitford Fine Art, London
2008, Caziel: ‘Je suis abstrait’ - Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
2006, Centenary Retrospective Exhibition, Whitford Fine Art, London
2004, Caziel: Abstraction 1963 - 1967, Whitford Fine Art, London. Retrospective Exhibition, Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London
2001, Contour and Line: Selection of Works on Paper from 1965 by Caziel, Whitford Fine Art, London
1998, Retrospective Exhibition, National Museum, Warsaw
1997, Caziel: Drawings from the Forties, Whitford Fine Art, London; Caziel: Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
1995, Caziel: Substance and Light, Whitford Fine Art, London
1992, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
1991, Butlin Gallery, Dillington House College, Ilminster, Somerset
1990, Memorial Exhibition at the Polish Cultural Institute, London
1978, National Museum, Warsaw
1968, Grabowski Gallery, London
1966, Grabowski Gallery, London
1947, Galerie Allard, Paris
1932, Loza Wolnomalarska (Lodge of Free Painters) - Loża Wolnomalarska
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017, A Century of Polish Artists in Britain, Ben Uri Gallery, London.
1983, Summer Exhibition at Fair Maids House Gallery, Perth
1966-68, Royal Academy of Arts, London
1948-56, Salon de Mai in Paris
1932, Loza Wolnomalarska (Lodge of Free Painters)
Caziel’s long-held dream of moving to Paris blossomed in 1937, when a bursary opened the city’s doors to him. Two years later, Édouard Vuillard personally intervened with the Polish authorities, ensuring Caziel could continue to call Paris home.
When Germany declared war in 1939, Caziel stepped forward to join the Polish army in France. After the Franco-German Armistice of 1940 led to the army’s disbandment, Caziel and his Jewish wife, the painter Lutka Pink, were forced to escape. They found refuge in Aix-en-Provence, welcomed by Blaise Cendrars, and lingered there on and off until autumn 1946. Immersed in the spirit of the region, Caziel delved deeply into Cézanne’s legacy, honoring the master through a series of nudes distinguished by bold contours, striking depth and perspective, and a pared-back palette. Inspired by Cézanne, he too turned his gaze to Mont Sainte-Victoire, capturing its presence in a series of intimate oils.
During his time in Aix, Caziel crossed paths with Le Corbusier, sparking lively exchanges about blending painting and architecture. His innate sense of proportion had already brought him acclaimed fresco commissions in Poland. When he returned to Paris in 1946, he was entrusted with designing the Polish pavilion for the UNESCO International Exhibition of Modern Art.
Although the Polish government offered Caziel several significant teaching positions, he chose to remain in Paris to ensure Lutka did not return to Poland, where her entire family had perished at Auschwitz. Despite the difficulties of post-war Paris, Caziel was motivated by his pursuit of a new pictorial space and continued to paint extensively.
In his pursuit of a new visual dimension, where line and colour projected the picture plane forward rather than flattening it, Caziel’s career gained momentum. His first solo exhibition at Galerie Allard in 1947 was followed by an invitation to exhibit at the Salon de Mai, alongside artists such as Picasso, Hans Hartung, Victor Vasarely, and Alfred Manessier.
In 1948, the Polish government asked Caziel to present Pablo Picasso with a traditional Polish coat made from the pelt of black Polish heath sheep. Caziel dutifully visited Picasso’s studio on the Rue des Augustins, where he was warmly received. The two men bonded immediately over their shared love of Polish folk art and their experiences as immigrants unable to return to their homelands. To Caziel’s surprise, Picasso was then working on a portrait of his son Claude based on a design Caziel had created for the catalogue of the 1948 UNESCO exhibition.
Between 1948 and 1952, Caziel and Picasso developed a close friendship, spending summers together in Juan-les-Pins, where they drew caricatures of each other. In 1948, Caziel's stylistic preoccupations were divided - strong lyrical and expressive compositions, much indebted to Picasso, alternated with works revealing his quest for Abstraction.
In 1951, Caziel largely abandoned figuration and joined the Groupe Espace, whose mission was to unite Constructivist art with architecture in pursuit of a new visual environment suited to modern society. The renowned art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler invited Caziel to join his stable of figurative artists, led by Picasso, under the assumption that Caziel’s abstract work was merely an experiment. However, Caziel declined the offer, choosing instead to remain committed to abstraction for the rest of his life.
By 1952, Lutka had left for the United States and Caziel fell madly in love with the young Scottish painter Catherine Sinclair, with whom he started a new life in Ponthévrard just outside of Paris. They married in 1957 and a year later their daughter Clementina was born.
Throughout his Parisian years, Caziel stood at the vibrant center of the ‘Ecole de Paris’. His move to Ponthévrard marked not a conclusion, but the dawn of a bold new chapter in his relentless pursuit of artistic excellence. His canvases transformed, brimming with precise geometric patterns that heralded the pure abstraction of his 1960s work. These striking abstractions found a regular stage at London’s Grabowski Gallery. In 1969, Caziel and Catherine set down new roots in Britain, where he would later become a naturalised citizen in 1975.
A major retrospective of his work was hosted by the National Museum in Warsaw in 1998.
Whitford Fine Art has represented the Caziel Estate since 1994, and started their commitment to Caziel with a substantial retrospective exhibition in 1995.
Public collections include
Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris
National Museum, Warsaw
Vatican Museum, Rome
Łódź Museum of Modern Art, Łódź
Bibliography
MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998.
PERRY, Jenny. The Grand Play of Light. The Art & Life of Caziel. London, 1997.
Caziel, exhibition catalogue Grabowski Gallery, London, 1968.
Caziel, exhibition catalogue Grabowski Gallery, London, 1966.
MADDOX, Conroy, ‘Caziel’, Arts Review, 14 May 1966.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020, Caziel, Selected Pastel and Crayon Works from 1965, Whitford Fine Art, London.
2018, Caziel: Paintings 1963- 1967, Lacerated Rhythms, Whitford Fine Art, London
2017, Caziel: Abstraction Explored, Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
2014, Caziel: Espace - Abstraction, Francis Maere Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium
2014, Caziel: Forever Yours, Whitford Fine Art, London
2010, Caziel: Drawings and Watercolours 1935 - 1952, The Paris Years, Whitford Fine Art, London
2008, Caziel: ‘Je suis abstrait’ - Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
2006, Centenary Retrospective Exhibition, Whitford Fine Art, London
2004, Caziel: Abstraction 1963 - 1967, Whitford Fine Art, London. Retrospective Exhibition, Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London
2001, Contour and Line: Selection of Works on Paper from 1965 by Caziel, Whitford Fine Art, London
1998, Retrospective Exhibition, National Museum, Warsaw
1997, Caziel: Drawings from the Forties, Whitford Fine Art, London; Caziel: Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London
1995, Caziel: Substance and Light, Whitford Fine Art, London
1992, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
1991, Butlin Gallery, Dillington House College, Ilminster, Somerset
1990, Memorial Exhibition at the Polish Cultural Institute, London
1978, National Museum, Warsaw
1968, Grabowski Gallery, London
1966, Grabowski Gallery, London
1947, Galerie Allard, Paris
1932, Loza Wolnomalarska (Lodge of Free Painters) - Loża Wolnomalarska
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017, A Century of Polish Artists in Britain, Ben Uri Gallery, London.
1983, Summer Exhibition at Fair Maids House Gallery, Perth
1966-68, Royal Academy of Arts, London
1948-56, Salon de Mai in Paris
1932, Loza Wolnomalarska (Lodge of Free Painters)
Provenance
The Estate of the Artist.Exhibitions
2006, Caziel: Centenary Retrospective Exhibition, Whitford Fine Art, London; 2014, Caziel: Espace - Abstraction, Francis Maere Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium.
Literature
MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. no. 323, p. 55.