The Art of Selection: The Origin of Teresa and Andrzej Starmach’s Collection

The collection of Teresa and Andrzej Starmach is one of the most important Polish collections of modern and contemporary art. Since 1989, they have been running the Starmach Gallery in Kraków, which is one of the main players in the artistic life of Poland. In 2023, the collectors donated 67 works by outstanding Polish artists to the MOCAK Collection, and this gift, presented in a permanent exhibition, is an important lesson in 20^th-century art. The list of artists alone demonstrates the significance of the collection: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Mirosław Bałka, Marek Chlanda, Marta Deskur, Stanisław Dróżdż, Władysław Hasior, Julian Jończyk, Tadeusz Kantor, Edward Krasiński, Piotr Lutyński, Marzena Nowak, Jerzy Nowosielski, Jadwiga Sawicka, Mikołaj Smoczyński, Grzegorz Sztwiertnia.

In this context, we invite you to a conversation with Andrzej Starmach. He will be talking about the origins of his and his wife’s collection, the choices they  faced and the dilemmas they encountered. We will ask him to share anecdotes about and reflections on the phenomenon of collecting.

The discussion with Andrzej Starmach will be moderated by MOCAK director Adam Budak and Katarzyna Jagodzińska, PhD.

Conversation in Polish, no English translation.

On the series Collecting: The Anatomy of a Passion

This event is part 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: ‘We will be launching a new 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.’