Stefan Norblin – one of the leading Art Deco artists
Following the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, the eminent Polish painter, draughtsman, poster artist, set designer and designer Stefan Norblin (1892–1952), together with his wife, the actress Helena (Lena) Żelichowska, left Poland for good. Travelling via Romania and Turkey, they both reached Baghdad, where Norblin painted several portraits of the King of Iraq and his family. Towards the end of 1940, the artist settled with his wife in India.

He worked in Bombay, where he mainly produced portraits, and at residences in Morwi, Patna and the new palace commissioned by the Maharaja of Marwar (Jodhpur) Umaid Singh, he painted portraits of rulers and their families, murals, and oil paintings depicting mythological and historical scenes. In the palaces in Morwi and Jodhpur, he also designed interiors in the Art Deco style.

Conservation of Norblin’s works in India
In 2006, conservation work began on Norblin’s works, which had been damaged mainly by climatic conditions. The work – funded through the Programme of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage ‘Protection of cultural heritage abroad’, secured by the Association of Monument Conservators – was carried out by Polish conservators, under the supervision of Józef Steciński, in collaboration with Indian specialists. The work was co-ordinated by the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage (now the Department of Cultural Heritage Abroad and War Losses), as well as the Polish Embassy and the Polish Institute in New Delhi. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs covered the costs of the conservators’ flights to India.

First, conservation work was carried out on six wall paintings in the Oriental Hall of the palace in Jodhpur (depicting mythological and religious scenes), followed by the murals in the exhibition hall (scenes from the history of Jodhpur) and a painting on glass in the Maharani’s apartments. Subsequent stages involved the conservation of easel paintings from the Maharaja’s Hunting Room and the Maharaja’s apartment. Conservation work in Jodhpur was completed in February 2011. The palace in Jodhpur is open to visitors and, alongside Mehrangarh Fort, is one of Rajasthan’s major tourist attractions.

The Jodhpur collection also includes interior designs for Umaid Bhawan Palace, created by Stefan Norblin. These were restored by specialists from the State Archives in Olsztyn in 2008.

The programme of events in India in 2011, relating to Stefan Norblin’s life and work during his time in India, formed part of a series of events organised during Poland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, including as part of the cultural programme of the Polish Presidency:

1. Presentation of the exhibition ‘Stefan Norblin (1892–1952). Master of Many Arts’ at the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola (September 2011), the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi (November 2011) and its branch in Mumbai (December 2011 – January 2012). The exhibitions were accompanied by a catalogue published by the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola, in Polish and English.

2. Premiere of the documentary film ‘Chitraanjali. Stefan Norblin in India’. The film was produced by the National Audiovisual Institute and the Polish Embassy in New Delhi.

3. Presentation of the results of conservation work in the form of multimedia kiosks permanently installed within the museum space of the palace in Jodhpur (November 2011), funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and designed by Maciej and Marek Mikulski in collaboration with Dorota Janiszewska-Jakubiak.

4. Publication of the album *Stefan Norblin*, edited by Prof. Anna Sieradzka, dedicated to the artist’s work. The album contains essays by Anna Sieradzka, Monika Chudzikowska, Agnieszka Kasprzak, Małgorzata Reinhard-Chlanda and Józef Steciński, as well as colour and black-and-white illustrations—both contemporary and archival—depicting the artist’s life and work, selected and curated by Dorota Janiszewska-Jakubiak (published by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Department of Cultural Heritage, the City of Stalowa Wola, and the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola; Stalowa Wola 2011).

The repatriation of the ashes of Norblin and his wife Lena Żelichowska
The project was symbolically concluded with the repatriation to Poland from San Francisco and the reburial of the ashes of Stefan Norblin and his wife, Lena Żelichowska, which had been discovered by Agnieszka Kasprzak. The initiative to locate the burial site and repatriate the artists’ ashes to Poland was funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Contrary to earlier reports, the ashes of Stefan Norblin and his wife were not scattered over San Francisco Bay, but had been interred in cemeteries near the city. With the consent of their son, Andrew Norblin, they were brought to Poland.

A funeral mass was held on 12 October 2012 at the Church of St Charles Borromeo. The urns were laid to rest in the Norblin family vault at Stary Powązki Cemetery. On the same day, in Warsaw’s Bielany district, on Gdańska Street, in Keller’s Ponds Park – at the site where Stefan had been building his house, known as ‘Kaskada’ – a commemorative plaque, funded by the district authorities, was unveiled. In the evening, the opening of the exhibition ‘Art Beyond Time: Stefan Norblin (1892–1952)’ took place at the Poster Museum in Wilanów, under the patronage of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. Paintings and works from Polish collections were presented, emphasising the role of the poster, as well as an American collection from San Francisco, owned by the Polish Arts and Culture Foundation.

The project to preserve Stefan Norblin’s artistic legacy in India is continuing at the palace in Morbi.