A guide to the exhibition presenting works of an artist of worldwide fame and prestige. The complete (total) presentation of all the works of Magdalena Abakanowicz, the most internationally renowned contemporary Polish artist.

The exhibition showcased all the works created by Abakanowicz in the collection of the National Museum in Wrocław, which is coincidentally the largest and most representative set of her body of work.

This booklet was designed by Anna Witkowska. She used Di Grotesk and Janus typefaces from Threedotstype.

The publication accompanied an exhibition by the same name: 50 na 50. Jubileusz 50-lecia Działu Sztuki Wydawniczej Muzeum Narodowego we Wrocławiu, or, in English, Fifty-Fifty. Fifty Years of the Department of Publishing Art at the National Museum in Wrocław.

The book was designed by Marian Misiak and Marcin Zonnenberg as a dialogue between tradition and modernity.

The pattern on the cover, inspired by the traditional marbling technique, was generated using an algorithm for each copy individually by Olaf Schindler. Therefore, there are no two identical covers in the entire edition. The label on the cover, informing about the author and title, was hand-applied – giving the reader a sense of direct contact with the creators of the book.

All this is to pay tribute to the unique collection of publishing art at the National Museum in Wrocław on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its creation, and at the same time, to make this celebration a collector’s feast.

The book is set in Heneczek Pro and Di Grotesk from Threedotstype.

On the right: original art for Bronisław Zelek’s eponymous typeface, Zelek.

The Four Domes Pavilion, a work of famous German architect Hans Poelzig, has been modernised and re-opened to the public as a branch of the National Museum dedicated to contemporary art.

Constructed in 1913 to serve as part of the exhibition space surrounding the Centennial Hall, it originally housed a historical exhibition commemorating Prussia's defeat of Napoleon 100 years prior. Following WWII, the remarkable building was taken over by the Wrocław Motion Picture Company for office use, gradually falling into disrepair before being signed over to the National Museum in 2009. Now restored to its former glory and featuring some blindingly white minimalist decor, it is home to works by prominent 20th and 21st-century Polish artists – including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Władysław Hasior, Tadeusz Kantor and Alina Szapocznikow – and one more reason to visit the area around Centennial Hall.

Di grotesk was used throughout the identity.

See also a previous post on Fonts In Use about the National Museum of Wrocław identity

The National Museum in Wrocław is a museum in Poland that holds the largest collection of contemporary art in the country. Furthermore, the museum features floors and rooms that focus on a particular theme, and an exhibition titled Miracle-Workers.

In 2016, Di grotesk was chosen as the brand typeface for the identity of the museum. Here, Di grotesk is used in a series of visitor’s guides. Colour coded dots symbolises these four branches of the museum.

See a previous post about the museum identity on Fonts In Use for more information.

The new permanent exhibition prepared for the 70th anniversary of the official opening of the National Museum in Wrocław, Cudo-Tworcy (“Miracle-Makers”) aims to describe and present the world made by human hands. First was created in the human mind and imagination, and then in a perfect way materialised in the utilitarian objects. The exhibition takes visitors on an expedition to the past, while making clear references to familiar contemporary reality.

Di grotesk is used throughout.

W sile wieków (“In the prime of ages”)

Od pałacu do rotundy (“From the palace to the rotunda”) is a publishing series devoted to the buildings which house the National Museum in Wrocław and its three branches: Panorama of Racławice, the Ethnographic Museum, and the Four Domes Pavilion of the Museum of Contemporary Art. The publication not only describes the stories of the individual buildings, but also draws attention to their architectural and artistic values.

The study, rich in original photos and construction plans of the buildings from different periods, has been supplemented with contemporary photos by Nicholas Grospierre and the photographic department of the National Museum in Wrocław.

Designed by Marian Misiak and Olaf Schindler. The four publications use Marian Misiak’s Di grotesk throughout, and in multiple weights.

Janus in use for Willmann. Opus magnum, a publication by the National Museum of Wrocław, Poland.

The book accompanied an exhibition that showcased around 100 paintings which constitute almost one third of the surviving body of work by artist Michael Leopold Willmann (1630–1706), among them those depicting mythological and religious scenes, portraits and landscapes. The monographic exhibition dedicated to the German Baroque painter who became known as the “Silesian Rembrandt” presented for the first time ever the biggest collection of his works.

Janus is used throughout in multiple styles and weights.

In 2016 a new branch of the National Museum in Wrocław dedicated to Modern Art was launched with the new identity and signage system created by the Threedotstype team. The logo – the idiosyncratic letter M – is a reversed W, referring to the coat of arms of Wrocław (so the sign can also work upside down). For the identity of the museum Di Grotesk was chosen to celebrate and match the aesthetics and the period of the foundation of the Four Dome Pavilion. Built in 1912 to 1913, it was renovated to host the museum’s new branch.

The National Museum in Wrocław is a museum in Poland that holds the largest collection of contemporary art in the country. Furthermore, the museum features floors and rooms that focus on a particular theme, namely: Silesian stone sculpture from the 12th to 16th centuries, Silesian art from the 14th to 16th centuries, Silesian art from the 16th to 19th centuries, Polish art in the 17th to 19th centuries, European art from the 15th to the 20th century, and an exhibition titled Miracle-Workers.