Motherhood – scuplture

Technique: sandstone sculpture

Dimensions: 105 cm (H), 46 cm (W), 55 cm (D)

Object: This representational figurative composition made out of a single block of grey sandstone depicts a kneeling woman with a child on her lap. The young woman looks ahead, her gaze intent; she wears a long, folded dress. With her raised right hand she brushes back her long, wavy hair, holding with her left arm the naked child below, who is staring at the woman with his head tilted upward. The anatomical parts of the composition are conveyed in a realistic fashion. The frontal representation is made more dynamic by a highly decorative depiction of the drapes of the robe wrapped around the woman’s back, which take on a near-abstract character. The composition is set on a thick, irregularly shaped plinth. The work was acquired by the National Museum in Gdańsk directly from the artist on 10 November 1973. Since 1976, Motherhood has formed part of the open-air sculpture exhibition in Oliwa Park. It was placed on a 125 cm high granite plinth measuring 60 × 60 cm at the base. The work is signed along the back edge of the plinth: “Z. Kępski”.

Place: The sculpture is integrated into the natural landscape of the northern part of the Adam Mickiewicz Park in Oliwa. It forms part of the Gallery of Contemporary Gdańsk Sculpture from the collection of the National Museum in Gdańsk, created on the initiative of the Museum, the District Board of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers (ZPAP) and the City Council. The outdoor gallery, showcasing works by artists from different generations, was officially opened on 30 March 1976.

Information about the author:

Zygmunt Kępski (b. 1924 in Piotrków Trybunalski, d. 1983 in Gdańsk) studied at the Faculty of Sculpture of the State School of Visual Arts (PWSSP) in Gdańsk – the present-day Academy of Fine Arts. He graduated in 1954 from Prof. Marian Wnuk’s studio. He took part in the reconstruction of sculptural elements of the historic architecture of Gdańsk’s Główne Miasto. He took part in design competitions, e.g. for the Monument to the Heroes of Warsaw in Warsaw (mention of honour), Monument to the Martyred Jews in Radom and Monument to the Martyred in Bydgoszcz (Bydgoszcz). The artist’s works are held at the National Museums in Gdańsk and Warsaw.

Condition of the object: awaiting renovation

Owner/guardian: The National Museum in Gdańsk

Author of the entry: Andrzej Zagrobelny