Exhibition Shows Range of Hnizdovsky’s Art

The KUMF Gallery in Toronto had a retrospective exhibition of the prints and paintings of artist Jacques Hnizdovsky (1915-1985) from September 29 to October 15.

At the launch, held on the evening of September 29, Dr. Daria Darewych delivered a presentation on the art and life of the artist.

 Some of the artwork on display came from the KUMF Gallery’s own collection but most of the pieces were loaned for the exhibition by local collectors. Many of them were in attendance at the opening.  Selected works were also on sale.

 Hnizdovsky is known best for his distinctive black-and-white woodcuts or prints. A prolific artist, he created 355 woodcuts and linocuts and 19 etching. The work lining the walls of two KUMF Gallery rooms included representative samples of his woodcuts and prints, but also colourful oils, depicting a broad range of subject matter and demonstrating the diversity and range of his output.

Born in Ukraine in 1915, Hnizdovsky, who studied art in Warsaw and Zagreb, had an early interest in woodcuts, particularly those of German Renaissance graphic artist Albrecht Durer and of Japanese artists.

Soon after he arrived in the United States in 1949, Hnizdovsky’s work was purchased by the Minneapolis Institute of Art.  Thereafter, he devoted his life to art and received many prestigious prizes, including the First Prize at the Boston Printmakers annual exhibition in 1962, and many fellowships and accolades.

During Hnizdowsky’s lifetime, his work was showcased in numerous exhibitions in the United States as well as at exhibitions in Italy, the USSR and Japan. Numerous leading American art galleries and institutes have his work in their permanent collections.­–Olena Wawryshyn