Bunkier Sztuki Gallery
Kraków Artists: Painters and Sculptors
A contemporary art gallery at Szczepański Square 3a, in the Old Town by the Planty, founded in 1965 and counted among the most important Polish institutions presenting contemporary art. The exhibition pavilion was designed by Krystyna Tołłoczko-Różyska, and the sculptural treatment of the facade was by Antoni Hajdecki. In 1994 the gallery received the status of a city gallery, and in 1995 it officially took the name Bunkier Sztuki. From 2021 to 2024 the building was under renovation.
History
The Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art is located at Szczepański Square 3a, right by Planty Park, and is one of the most important Polish institutions showing contemporary art. Its beginnings go back to 1950, when a Kraków branch of the Central Bureau of Art Exhibitions was set up. In 1965 the bureau moved into a pavilion designed by Krystyna Tołłoczko-Różyska; the grand opening took place on 11 September that year.
The building was controversial from the start. Its stark, Brutalist architecture stood in contrast to the neighbouring Art Nouveau Palace of Art and stirred up controversy among both artists and the people of Kraków. The distinctive facade, made of concrete casts of wooden formwork, was developed by Stefan Borzęcki and Antoni Hajdecki. It is the only Brutalist building within the Old Town. In 1994 the exhibition bureau was given the status of a municipal gallery, and a year later it adopted the name Bunkier Sztuki ("Art Bunker"), referring to the nickname the people of Kraków had given this architecture, which did not fit in with the city's traditional buildings.
The gallery shows modern art from around the world and promotes artists connected with Kraków, and most exhibitions are accompanied by extensive catalogues and meetings with critics. It also has its own publishing activity. For more than 55 years the building was not modernised. A thorough renovation began in 2021, and on 8 February 2024 the restored building welcomed the public again, with exhibitions and presentations of works from the gallery's collection.
Did you know?
The original competition concept also included four underground storeys. During the renovation they were abandoned, because work near the old defensive walls and moat would have been a major technological and financial challenge.