Sculpture of a woman holding a child

Technique: sculpture, granite

Dimensions: approx. 150 cm (height)

Object: A tapered block of red granite with a simplified representation of a woman holding a baby in her arms. The sculpture rests on a low cement and stone plinth. The sculptural work may point to Alfons Łosowski as the author. It was probably placed there at the turn of the 1960s and 70s, after the cemetery was closed down.

Place: Covering an area of approx. 3.1 ha, Bema Park was established on a part of the parish cemetery established in the mid-19^th century at St. Barbara’s Church in Gdańsk on Długie Ogrody Street. The cemetery remained open until 1964 and was transformed into a public park a few years after its closure. The park arrangement is aligned with the former cemetery alleys lined with linden and chestnut trees. The northern part of the park features beautiful old ash trees that have been preserved. The former burial areas were converted into lawns, with ornamental trees and shrubs planted in recent years. The sculpture stands in the southern part of the park, near Zakopiańska Street.

Information about the author: Alfons Łosowski (04 Jan 1908–27 Jun 1988). Born in Orkiewicze in the Novogrudok region (currently in Belarus). He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the S. Báthory University in Vilnius under the supervision of Prof. Kuna, Mikenas and Aleksandrowicz.

During the war, he was a Home Army soldier of the Vilnius district. After the war, he settled in Gdańsk. Until 1955, he was working on reconstructing sculptures as part of the Gdańsk Old Town restoration. He brought back to life sculptures decorating many façades of the most famous tenement houses, all based on modest, surviving photographic documentation. In 1955, he started independent creative work in his studio at 11/13 Mariacka Street.

He authored several outdoor sculptures within the Gdańsk area, which he donated to the city in 1966, as well as many sculptures in public buildings in Poland, in museums and private collections. Granite and wood were his primary working materials. He created a distinctive style that combined organic form with a natural stone texture.

Condition of the object: partially destroyed; the sculpture’s surface was damaged with paint by vandals.

Owner: Gdańsk Road and Greenery Authority

Author of the entry: Kora Kowalska