Teresa and Andrzej Starmach are laureates of the 26th edition of the Professor Aleksander Gieysztor Award
On March 18,2025, at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the XXVI Professor Aleksander Gieysztor Award was presented during a ceremonial Gala. This prestigious distinction was awarded to Teresa and Andrzej Starmach for their consistent, 35-year-old private patronage of the artistic heritage of the Krakow artistic community. The award for outstanding achievements in the protection of Polish cultural heritage is granted by the Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation.
"At Citi Handlowy, we know very well what tradition, heritage and respect for roots mean. Our institution is 155 years old, we are part of the Citi group, which has been operating on the market for over 200 years. We are very convinced that the protection of cultural heritage allows society to build identity, teaches tolerance and strengthens regardless of the challenges of the present. This year's laureates have great merits in saving and promoting Polish art and in shaping the artistic awareness of Poles. Their actions have enriched us all," said Elżbieta Czetwertyńska, CEO of Citi Handlowy..
The Award Committee, chaired by Professor Jacek Purchla, awarded the Award to the Starmachs for consistent, 35-year-old private patronage of the artistic heritage of the Krakow artistic community, and in particular of the historical Krakow Group dating back to the 1930s, expressed by systematic care for the achievements of the members of this group; organization of their exhibitions; publishing catalogues and monographs devoted to them; collecting their works to prevent dispersion. The Award Committee appreciated the special care for Jerzy Nowosielski's artistic achievements and its popularization and reconstruction at his own expense of the historic, nineteenth-century Zucker Synagogue at Węgierska Street in Krakow's Podgórze district, and thus participation in the revitalization of this district of the city. Also appreciated was the donation in 2024 of a private collection of works of art of museum value, classified as Polish artistic heritage and valued at a total of PLN 50 million, to public institutions of the city of Krakow: the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCAK) and the Museum of Photography (MUFO).
- We feel extremely appreciated and even intimidated by what has happened to us. This award obliges us not to rest on our laurels, but to continue to try to bring value to our broadly understood culture. Art was a priority for us, we put it above other goods. Our life is short, art stays for generations - said Teresa and Andrzej Starmach during their speech.
The Starmachs' activity contributed to the development and professionalization of the art market in Poland. Thanks to their commitment, Polish artists have gained a platform to present their work. An impressive part of the collection donated to Krakow's museums includes works of fundamental importance to Polish culture. Thanks to the donation of Teresa and Andrzej Starmach, the MOCAK collection includes works by m.in. Magdalena Abakanowicz, Władysław Hasior, Tadeusz Kantor, Edward Krasiński and Jerzy Nowosielski. The works of m.in. Tomasz Ciecierski, Marta Deskur and Jadwiga Sawicka were donated to MuFo.
The Citi Handlowy Leopold Kronenberg Foundation has been awarding the Professor Aleksander Gieysztor Award since 1999. The aim of the project is to promote and support personalities whose activities can inspire future generations. The distinction is awarded for outstanding achievements aimed at protecting Polish cultural heritage in the country and abroad. Institutions and individuals honoured with this Award are actively involved in the development, promotion and education in cultural heritage protection.
Last year, the Award Committee appreciated the commitment of Professor Andrzej Rottermund to the work and efforts to preserve and revitalize Warsaw's monuments. The award was also given to m.in.: Prof. Jerzy Hausner for his comprehensive activities for the use and (re)interpretation of cultural heritage as the basis for communication and creativity as well as the economy of values. Professor Jerzy Limon was awarded for creating the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre, which combines tradition with modernity, promoting contemporary theatre and art in an understandable way. The Pendereckis were also awarded for creating the European Centre for Music in Lusławice – a place where young art adepts can develop their talent. The Award was also given to Anda Rottenberg for outstanding achievements in research, exhibition, social and cultural animation activities related to Polish and world art at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. It was also awarded to the British historian Norman Davies, who devoted a significant part of his scientific achievements to the study and dissemination of Polish history. Among the winners there were also such names as Krystyna Zachwatowicz and Andrzej Wajda – awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of film and theatre promoting Polish culture. The award was also given to the Social Committee for the Care of Old Rasos, which has been taking care of the oldest Polish necropolis in Vilnius since 1990. The winner of the Award was Bishop Waldemar Pytel for over thirty years of effort to save, revitalize and restore the splendor of the Lutheran quarter together with the Church of Peace in Świdnica, inscribed in 2001 on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The winners are also Professor Jacek Purchla in recognition of his m.in many years of work on urban issues and urban development, and Leon Tarasewicz – for conscious, long-term building of bridges between different ethnic, linguistic and religious groups of the Polish-Belarusian-Lithuanian borderland. The award was also given to the Borys Woźnicki Lviv Art Gallery – for consistently building the identity of Lviv as an open city and strongly connected with Polish heritage, which is at the same time a combination of many other cultures: Ruthenian, Armenian, Jewish, German.
The 26th edition of the Award was held under the Honorary Patronage of the
President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda.
