“Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”. The exhibition at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

Editorial board

doi:10.37190/arc220212

Abstract

The subject of the review is the monographic exhibition entitled “Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”, which has been presented at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław since June and is on up to October 2022. Tomasz Mańkowski (1926–2012), the main hero of the exhibition, was an architect, professor and lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology. His professional activity, covering a period of over fifty years, focused on the issues of geometry and form, whereas in the structural and functional layer on prefabrication and housing. The exhibition presents the artist’s profile and his most important achievements, which were the result of independent or team work (including competition concepts from the period of the Gomułka Thaw, the Student Village of the Cracow University of Technology, a General Housing Program for Iraq, the Polish College in Przegorzały, the Village Children’s Hospital in Rajsko near Oświęcim, Radio Kraków). Tomasz Mańkowski’s architecture was presented against a broad background of social, political, and cultural events. The exhibition is distinguished not only by an interesting program concept which significantly contributes to the current state of knowledge about post-war architecture and urban planning, but also by an elegant arrangement.

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DOI: 10.37190/arc220212

The protagonist of the exhibition, which has been pre-

sented at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław since

June 21, 2022, is architect Tomasz Mańkowski (1926–2012)

– a professor at the Cracow University of Technology

and an artist connected with Kraków [1]. Mańkowski’s

complex biography and multi-thematic oeuvre constitute

an excellent presentation of changes in Polish architec-

ture after 1945. The exhibition features a subtle collage

of impressions which are guided by the architect’s credo

– the title slogan, i.e. “Architecture is the most important

thing”. As emphasized by the curators of the exposition,

the simplicity of forms, the rules of geometry and the hu-

manistic message form the basis of Mańkowski’s creative

activity.

The exhibition was based on three main narrative mo-

tifs, i.e., the Gomułka’s thaw (after 1956), prefabrication

and housing (the 1960s and 1970s) and postmodernism

(up to the beginning of the 21

century). In each trend,

original and mostly unknown to the national public, archi-

tectural and urban concepts were presented. The axis of the

political turning point is represented by award-winning,

but not implemented, competition projects which were

prepared by Mańkowski in cooperation with, for example,

Jerzy Sztark, Tadeusz Kantor and Witold Skulicz. Apart

from the Polish Pavilion for the World Exhibition Expo

in Brussels (Fig. 1a) and the People’s Astronomical Ob-

servatory and Planetarium in Warsaw (1956), multi-col-

ored boards of the Lodge for anglers at Goczałkowice

lagoon (1957) and Divine Mercy Church in Kalisz (1959)

(Fig. 1b) were included. The basis for the story about pre-

fabrication consists of light wooden houses for families

of miners in Silesia (1957) (Fig. 2a) which are presented

along with the General Housing Program for Iraq (1978)

and the concept of the Student Village of AGH University

of Science and Technology [2] (Fig. 2b). Diverse models

of housing, individual and collective, were set in a broad

social and political context, whereas the modular nature

of architecture was reected in the arrangement of spa-

tial models which were designed on orthogonal grids. The

“postmodern” part is represented by buildings with indi-

vidualized forms which are characteristic of the architec-

ture and art of the last decades of the 20

century, as well

as by the presentation of modernized design techniques.

The building of Polonia College in Przegorzały consti-

tutes the bond which connects the periods of modernism

and postmodernism.

At the exhibition particularly noteworthy are the orig-

inal architectural models, the oldest of which – an urban

model of the AGH University of Science and Technology

Student Village in Kraków was created in the mid-1960s

(Fig. 3a), and the youngest – a deconstructivist model of

Radio Kraków thirty years later (Fig. 3b). The diversity

of the exhibits, the presentation of authentic boards and

drawings, which were developed from the 1950s up to

“Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”.

The exhibition at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

Review

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

“Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”

Exhibition open until October 30

, 2022

Organizer: Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

Curators: Joanna Majczyk, Barbara Szczepańska, Maciej Siwy

Exhibition set-up: Joanna Majczyk, Mikołaj Twardowski

Substantive consultations: dr hab. Agnieszka Tomaszewicz, prof. PWr

126 Review

the beginning of the 21

century, provide an interesting

picture of changes in the artists’ workshop. Hand draw-

ing techniques and traditional materials (paper, wood, ink,

pencil, water paint) have been replaced by printing and

computer methods over time (at drawings, visualizations,

virtual walks).

The presentation of the professional creative activity

is complemented by an extensive biography of the archi-

tect. Mańkowski was born in Kraków in 1926 as Tomasz

Eibenschütz, son of attorney Stanisław Eibenschütz and

Ewelina née Anisfeld [3]. The Jewish origin dramatically

inuenced the life of the family – almost all of the archi-

tect’s relatives died in the Holocaust, whereas he survived,

inter alia, thanks to the heroic help of sisters Jadwiga,

Magdalena, and Maria née Mańkowski. The surname giv-

en to the Eibenschütz family enabled Tomasz Mańkowski

and his mother to survive the war. In 1954, Mańkowski

graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow

University of Technology and was soon employed at the

University. He held various functions within its structures,

Fig. 1. “Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”. Views of the arrangement fragments:

a) a photo of the non-existent model of the Polish Pavilion for the Brussel’s World Fair. SARP competition design, 1

honorable mention. 1956.

Tomasz Mańkowski, collaboration: Jerzy Sztark, Bohdan Lisowski, Teresa Lisowska, Jerzy Tyszkowski, Jerzy Tombiński, Tadeusz Gawłowski,

b) colored façade of Divine Mercy Church in Kalisz. 2

award. 1959. Tomasz Mańkowski, collaboration: Jerzy Sztark, Witold Skulicz (board)

Il. 1. Wystawa „Tomasz Mańkowski. Architektura jest najważniejsza”, widoki fragmentów aranżacji:

a) zdjęcie nieistniejącej makiety Pawilonu Polskiego na Wystawę Światową EXPO w Brukseli. Projekt konkursowy SARP, I wyróżnienie. 1956.

Tomasz Mańkowski, współpraca: Jerzy Sztark, Bohdan Lisowski, Teresa Lisowska, Jerzy Tyszkowski, Jerzy Tombiński, Tadeusz Gawłowski,

b) Kościół pw. Miłosierdzia Bożego w Kaliszu. Projekt konkursowy SARP, II nagroda. 1959. Tomasz Mańkowski,

współpraca: Jerzy Sztark, Witold Skulicz (plansze)

Fig. 2. “Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”. Views of the arrangement fragments:

a) colored façade of the prefabricated house from wood waste. 1957. Tomasz Mańkowski, collaboration: Jerzy Sztark, b) a photo of the Student

Village of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków. 1960s (under construction). Tomasz Mańkowski with team

Il. 2. Wystawa „Tomasz Mańkowski. Architektura jest najważniejsza”, widoki fragmentów aranżacji: a) dom prefabrykowany z odpadów

drzewnych. 1957. Tomasz Mańkowski, współpraca: Jerzy Sztark, b) Miasteczko Studenckie AGH w Krakowie. Lata 60. XX w. (w czasie budowy).

Tomasz Mańkowski z zespołem

Review 127

i.e. from 1963 he was head of the Department of Design-

ing Residential Buildings, in the years 1964–1966 he was

vice-dean for science, from 1970 – deputy director, and

from 1980 – director of the Institute of Architectural De-

sign. In 1980, the architect was awarded the title of full

professor. During the period of the Polish People’s Repub-

lic, he was one of the few to maintain international profes-

sional contacts, and thanks to a scholarship received in the

1960s from the Foreign Students Scholarship program, he

practiced with Louis Kahn for a short time. The exhibition

presented many artifacts from Mańkowski’s private life,

among other things, family photos, documents and press

articles as well as drawing supplies.

Mańkowski’s design philosophy was reected in the

concept of the exhibition which was developed by archi-

tects Joanna Majczyk and Mikołaj Twardowski who were

connected with the Faculty of Architecture of Wrocław

University of Science and Technology. The logical, or-

thogonal spatial layout of the presentation was created

by two main compositional axes – the rst horizontal

axis had a system of tables (with pull-out drawers) and

tops on which spatial models of buildings were placed.

The se cond vertical composition line included black and

white as well as multicolored works from the period of

the so-called October thaw, which were framed in white

passe-partout and delicate black frames. The motif of nets

and modules is repeated in the structures of at spaces

and harmonizes with the construction modules of the pre-

sented architecture. Geometric gures – circles, triangles,

and rectangles – were included in the visual identication

concept of the exhibition components. Thanks to the open

composition, the background of the exhibition has become

– as an equal partner – the greenery of the park adjacent to

the Museum of Architecture (Fig. 4). The leading motif of

transparency and permeability of the idea is emphasized

by the materials used, i.e. tracing papers, translucent foils

and details made of matt plexiglass. Multifaceted spatial

compositions which transmit light, color, and movement

surprise with a variety of impressions. “Traditional” ma-

terials such as paper, wood and its derivatives, from which

the original boards and models of buildings were made,

were supplemented with a palette of metals which har-

monized with the cold, subdued colors of the room. Small

elements of equipment, i.e. boxes, brochures for visitors

and mounting structures for the wall foils were prepared

by means of the craft technique according to individual

projects. The possibility of tactile perception was put on

a par with visual impressions – in the drawers of stables

in which additional exhibits and information contents

were placed and structures with varied textures that can

be touched were designed.

Fig. 3. “Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”. Views of the fragments of the arrangement, in the foreground:

a) models of the Student Village of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków, b) a mock-up of the seat of Radio Kraków

(photo by M. Łanowiecki, June 2022)

Il. 3. Wystawa „Tomasz Mańkowski. Architektura jest najważniejsza”, widoki fragmentów aranżacji, na pierwszym planie:

a) makiety Miasteczka Studenckiego AGH w Krakowie, b) modelu siedziby Radia Kraków (fot. M. Łanowiecki, czerwiec 2022)

Fig. 4. “Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”.

View of the fragment of the arrangement

(photo by M. Łanowiecki, June 2022)

Il. 4. Wystawa „Tomasz Mańkowski. Architektura jest najważniejsza”,

widok fragmentu aranżacji

(fot. M. Łanowiecki, czerwiec 2022)

a b

128 Review

Abstract

“Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”. The exhibition at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

The subject of the review is the monographic exhibition entitled “Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing”, which has

been presented at the Museum of Architecture in Wrocław since June and is on up to October 2022. Tomasz Mańkowski (1926–2012), the main

hero of the exhibition, was an architect, professor and lecturer at the Faculty of Architecture of the Cracow University of Technology. His profes-

sional activity, covering a period of over fty years, focused on the issues of geometry and form, whereas in the structural and functional layer on

prefabrication and housing. The exhibition presents the artist’s prole and his most important achievements, which were the result of independent

or team work (including competition concepts from the period of the Gomułka Thaw, the Student Village of the Cracow University of Technology,

a General Housing Program for Iraq, the Polish College in Przegorzały, the Village Children’s Hospital in Rajsko near Oświęcim, Radio Kraków).

Tomasz Mańkowski’s architecture was presented against a broad background of social, political, and cultural events. The exhibition is distinguished

not only by an interesting program concept which signicantly contributes to the current state of knowledge about post-war architecture and urban

planning, but also by an elegant arrangement.

Key words: Tomasz Mańkowski, Polish architecture, exhibition, Museum of Architecture in Wrocław

Streszczenie

„Tomasz Mańkowski. Architektura jest najważniejsza”. Wystawa w Muzeum Architektury we Wrocławiu

Przedmiotem recenzji jest wystawa monograczna zatytułowana „Tomasz Mańkowski. Architektura jest najważniejsza”, prezentowana od czerw-

ca do października 2022 r. w Muzeum Architektury we Wrocławiu. Tomasz Mańkowski (1926–2012), główny bohater ekspozycji, był architektem,

profesorem i wieloletnim wykładowcą Wydziału Architektury Politechniki Krakowskiej. Jego działalność zawodowa, obejmująca okres ponad pięć-

dziesięciu lat, skupiała się na zagadnieniach geometrii, formy, a w warstwie konstrukcyjno-funkcjonalnej – prefabrykacji i mieszkalnictwie. Na

wystawie przedstawiono sylwetkę twórcy oraz jego najważniejsze dokonania, będące efektem pracy samodzielnej lub zespołowej (m.in.: koncepcje

konkursowe z okresu odwilży gomułkowskiej, Miasteczko Studenckie Akademii Górniczo-Hutniczej w Krakowie, modelowy program mieszkal-

nictwa dla Iraku, Kolegium Polonijne w Przegorzałach, Wioskę Dziecięcą w Rajsku koło Oświęcimia, Radio Kraków). Architekturę Tomasza Mań-

kowskiego przedstawiono na szerokim tle społeczno-polityczno-kulturowym. Wystawę wyróżnia nie tylko interesująca koncepcja programowa,

wnosząca istotny wkład w dotychczasowy stan wiedzy na temat architektury i urbanistyki powojennej, ale również elegancka aranżacja.

Słowa kluczowe: Tomasz Mańkowski, polska architektura, wystawa, Muzeum Architektury we Wrocławiu

References

[1] Tomasz Mańkowski. Architecture is the most important thing, http://

www.ma.wroc.pl/en/article/tomasz-mankowski-architecture-is-the-

most-important-thing/ [accessed: 21.06.2022].

[2] Wiśniewski M., Budowanie świata. Wokół twórczości Tomasza Mań-

kowskiego, “Architektura jest najważniejsza”, t. 8, Wydawnictwo

EMG, Kraków 2022.

[3] Tomasz Mańkowski – architekt. Z okazji pięćdziesięciolecia dok-

toratu, I. Grin (red.), Krakowska Akademia im. Andrzeja Frycza

Modrzewskiego, Kraków 2010.

[4] Szafer T.P., Współczesna architektura polska, Arkady, Warszawa

1988.

The exhibition is of high quality, both in terms of con-

tent and space. The broad context in which the creative

activity of Tomasz Mańkowski is embedded, the straight-

forward (although professional) language and the variety

of content have a great popularizing value, which is not

often found in presentations of this type. We encourage

everyone who is interested in the history of contemporary

Polish architecture [4, pp. 135, 136, 229, 230], changes in

the techniques of project presentation, and the relationship

between philosophy and architecture to visit the exhibition.

Editorial board