Sails – sculpture

Technique: metal sculpture; mechanically formed steel sheets, cutting, bending, welding

Dimensions: 150 cm; 120 cm (diameter)

Object: This abstract stainless steel sculpture is arranged in a vertical composition. It is constructed using three equally convex planes, the edges of which – characterized by uneven, corrugated lines – meet at the base and on top, giving the stereometric shape a dynamic character. The spiral form, which brings to mind a ship’s screw propeller, gives the impression of constant movement. The surface of the work is smooth, with a mirror texture. The sculpture was acquired by the National Museum in Gdańsk directly from the artist on 28 November 1974. Since then, Sails has formed part of the open-air sculpture gallery in the Oliwa Park. Owing to the damage suffered by the statue when two trees fell on it, in 2016 it was provisionally dismantled and moved to the courtyard of the Abbots’ Palace (seat of the NMG’s Modern Art Department). The work is not signed.

Place: The sculpture was integrated into the natural landscape of the northern part of the Adam Mickiewicz Park in Oliwa. It was originally placed in the stream current, protruding delicately above the surface of the water. It used to form part of the permanent open-air exhibition 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 gallery, showcasing works by artists from different generations, was officially opened on 30 March 1976.

Information about the author:

Adam Smolana (b. 1921 in Lviv, d. 1987 in Sopot) studied at the State Institute of Visual Arts in Lviv (1938–1942) in Prof. Marian Wnuk’s studio. He presented his graduation work in 1950 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw under the supervision of Franciszek Strynkiewicz. Between 1946 and 1987, he worked at the State School of Visual Arts in Gdańsk – the present-day Academy of Fine Arts. He took part in the reconstruction of sculptural elements of the historic architecture of Gdańsk’s Główne Miasto. He also collaborated with the Design Office during the planning stage of the “Przymorze” housing estate. Smolana mostly worked with wood. A separate line of his activity were outdoor monuments and statues, of which he made severa, including Monument to the Fallen in 1939 in Chojnice (1959), Fish in Gdynia (1968) and Monument to the Fallen Residents of Sopot 1939–1945 in Sopot (1985, in cooperation with Włodzimierz Stopa).

Condition of the object: awaiting renovation

Owner/guardian: The National Museum in Gdańsk

Author of the entry: Andrzej Zagrobelny