The Polonika Institute has launched a multi-year publishing project in 2023, led by art historian, curator, critic and publicist Dr Piotr Rypson and art history researcher and lecturer, curator Dr Eki Kiknadze. The result will be the scientific publication of a biography of the Polish painter and architect Henryk Hryniewski, the author of, among other things, the building of the National Library of the Georgian Parliament.

As the authors of the artist's biography mention, the figure of Henryk Hryniewski is not known in Poland. Very little has been written about his work so far. The situation is much better in Georgia, where he is well recognised, due to his place of birth and the legacy he has left behind.

Thanks to the research undertaken by Eka Kiknadze and Piotr Rypson, the figure of Henryk Hryniewski has been restored to history. The authors based the first scientific study of his biography on thorough searches carried out in 2023 not only in Georgia, but also in Poland or Italy. This made it possible to reconstruct the artist's life paths, disenchanting and clarifying many of the opinions and facts that appeared about him. It also became the basis for gathering information on the architect's works and the legacy he left behind.

"Henryk Hryniewski studied painting and architecture in Italy and Germany, travelling with his mother and later alone in western Europe; he also visited Warsaw and probably Krakow. At the very end of the 19th century, he returned to Georgia, which at the time, like part of the Polish lands, was part of the Russian Empire. He settled in Tiflis (now Tbilisi), as the rapidly developing multicultural capital of the Caucasus Viceroyalty was then called. He quickly found his place in the cultural milieu, becoming active in various progressive organisations and co-organising the Academy of Fine Arts and the National Museum. The spectacular work of the Pole, which he created together with the architect Anatoly Kalgin (1875-1943), is the building of the Noble Land Bank in Tbilisi. Today it is part of the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia and can be visited during the day. The building is located on the street of Lado Gudjashvili, a famous Georgian artist" - this is just the beginning of the wonderful story of Henryk Hryniewski that the authors describe.

The Polonika Institute plans to publish the artist's biography in 2026 as part of its own scientific series: "Studies and Materials".

Authors: Dr Piotr Rypson, Dr Eka Kiknadze

Anticipated completion date: 2026 r.