The exhibition prepared by the Artemis Gallery and presented at the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre is a perfect chance to fully immerse ourselves in Anna Güntner’s world by exploring over 40 of her paintings from private collections. 

Anna Güntner (1933–2013)
The artist was born in 1933 in Poznań. Her work could be characterised as poetic or metaphorical, having a lot it common with Surrealist and fantastic painting and yet staying fully autonomous and original. The painter created her own significant style that she cultivated her whole life. She studied at professor Zbignie Pronaszko's studio and graduated from Cracow Academy of Fine Arts in 1958, the same year that Pronaszko died.
Shortly after graduating she started her artistic career. Her work was recognised both in Poland and abroad. She had many monographic exhibitions and has participated in substantial number of collective ones for example in Paris, Milan, Stockholm, New York and Los Angeles. In 1980s she stopped painting. Her motives behind this decision are not clear. Her painting, seemingly joyful, often with erotic undertones has many possible interpretations. The figure that Güntner most usually depicts is one of a perfect body, a bit whimsical woman often accompanied by male figures. Melancholic heroines and heroes of her paintings are from time to time replaced by everyday objects and utensils, enlarged and floating in space. This is how the artist underlines objects autonomy of being. All of the elements are shown in unknown, oneiric realm. Those landscapes are exactly opposite to the view the artists has seen out of her apartment window in Nowa Huta. The artist is inspired by old masters paintings, seeking motives and even whole characters in Dutch pieces, background scenery in Renaissance Italian painting. Her work can be seen in many different contexts. Excellent craftsmanship, refined drawing and multitude of meanings make Anna Güntner an important artist who brings new light into the art history discourse.

The artist died in Kraków in 2013.