Brunon Lechowski - Polish painter and set designer in Brazil

His life could be the subject of many a film and his adventures could be told at length. Brunon Lechowski is an artist whose life could inspire many Poles, not only those living abroad. Find out more about the painter who decided to settle permanently in Rio de Janeiro.

Brunon Lechowski (1887-1941) - Polish-born and Brazilian stage designer and painter . He trained in Kyiv, Warsaw and Paris. He created decorations for many plays and films , such as: "The Butler" (1919), "Blanc et noir" (1919), "For Three Views" (1922) and "A Cry in the Night" (1922).

In the 1920s, the idea to create an International Artists' House in Warsaw came to Bruno Lechowski's mind. In order to raise funds for this, he made a bet with a friend for 300,000 zlotys and decided to go on a journey around the world , however, communicating only in Polish , with no money in his pocket. The story reached the ears of Marshal Piłsudski himself, who wished Lechowski good luck. What's more, his adventures in various corners of the globe were described in many newspapers at the time.

However, Lechowski did not win the bet, as he settled permanently in Brazil . He had previously organised an exhibition of his paintings there , the proceeds of which were to be used to continue his journey . And although the painter's art was well received in South America, no one decided to buy his paintings at the time.

On Lechowski's initiative, the Núcleo Bernardelli association of artists was founded in Brazil . The painter and stage designer also raised a whole generation of artists living in South America. Throughout his life, he also created for himself: during the war years, his work focused on symbolic scenes ; in Brazil, however, he concentrated mainly on landscapes . According to Eligiusz Niewiadomski:

'he had an astonishing painterly imagination and gift for composition, an extraordinary sense of line and style and an extraordinary (albeit uneven) sensitivity to colour .

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