Destination Museum

Meet the Collectors Katarzyna and Marek Sosenko

Host: Katarzyna Jagodzińska

Part of the series: Collecting: The Anatomy of a Passion

The Sosenko family from Kraków has created one of the largest and most representative collections of material culture in Poland. The collection covers almost all areas of the antiques market and, in terms of the number and quality of objects, surpasses the collections of many public museums. The impressive magnum opus of its founder, Marek Sosenko, a well-known museum curator, collector, and antiquarian, is being continued by his daughter Katarzyna and is also supported by other members of the family. Established in 2008, the Sosenko Family Foundation[AM1] loans objects for museum exhibitions and hires out props for film sets. It has also been working to create a museum for the display and study of the central part of the collection – historical toys. Despite having no permanent exhibition space, in 2020 the foundation set up the Toy Museum in Kraków. It is one of the most interesting private museum projects, supported by curatorial, research, educational, and conservation resources; nevertheless, it requires proper premises to develop its activities.

The Sosenkos will be talking about how their collection was created and where it is headed. We will be asking what – if anything – old toys have in common with the discourse about the climate crisis, migration and a sense of well-being. Why does it make sense to juxtapose historical toys with contemporary art? And what form could the private-public relationship take in the context of a museum?

Conversation in Polish, no English translation.

Katarzyna Sosenko – art historian, antiquarian, president of the Sosenko Family Foundation. A graduate of art history and curatorial studies at the Jagiellonian University. Awarded a prestigious Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation scholarship, which enabled her to take up an internship in museology and curatorship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection art museum in Venice. She is an expert in the field of fashion history and the author of numerous articles and exhibitions on artistic crafts

Marek Sosenko – creator of the largest collection of historical toys in Poland, the founder of the Sosenko Family Foundation. A recognised authority in the field of antique toys, with numerous exhibitions and publications. Awarded the Order of Merit to Polish Culture and the honorary badge of Meritorious Cultural Activist by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage for the creation, promotion, and protection of Polish culture, as well as the Honoris Gratia award by the Mayor of Kraków for his services to the city.

 

About the series Collecting: The Anatomy of a Passion

This is a series of discussions with prominent collectors of contemporary art – individuals who not only collect works of art, but also shape the culture of patronage and support artistic institutions.

Adam Budak, director of MOCAK and curator of the series, says: ‘This is a series of events, meeting with and talking to prominent collectors of contemporary art from around the world. Listening to such extraordinary personalities and learning about the philosophy behind their passion for collecting art is not only a pleasure but also an emancipatory moment – inspiring the culture of collecting, it continues the centuries-old tradition of supporting artists and institutions. This topic has been close to my heart for a long time. At the National Gallery in Prague, I curated the exhibition Generosity: The Art of Giving, dedicated to patrons who have helped shape the identity of the Czech national collection over the years. This project threw a spotlight on the tremendous value of acts of generosity and their fundamental role in the development of artistic structures, both private and institutional.’