The Polonica Institute is sponsoring a publication with the working title " Józef Hecht. Monografia " , which will be published in 2024 by the Art & Modern Foundation, the Łódź Scientific Society and the Museum of the City of Łódź.

The publication is the first monographic study of the work of the painter, sculptor but above all graphic artist. It contains extensive texts by art historians on all disciplines practised by the artist: from graphic art to painting and sculpture, and on his teaching activities. The articles point to the artist's significant place in world art, discuss his circle of inspiration and Jozef Hecht's influence on subsequent generations of artists. The monograph also includes an updated calendar of the artist's life and work, thanks to the research of the Art & Modern Foundation. The authors of the texts are Katarzyna Kulpinska, PhD, Aneta Pawlowska, PhD, Irmina Gadowska, Łukasz Żuchowski and Christina Weyl, PhD.

Józef Hecht was born (1891) in Łódź, into the family of a textile entrepreneur. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków under, among others, Józef Pankiewicz and Wojciech Weiss. After his studies, he travelled around Europe. The outbreak of the First World War found him in Berlin, and by order of the German authorities he was sent to Norway. Eventually, he found himself in Paris (in 1929 he took French citizenship).

He was instrumental in founding, together with Stanley William Hayter, the famous Atelier 17. The studio operated in Paris from 1927 to 1939 and then in New York from 1940 to 1955. Artists who worked there included Max Ernst, Óscar Dominiquez, Yves Tanguy, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Wassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró, Louise Bourgeois, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol and many others.

Jozef Hecht belonged to the international circle of the École de Paris and was friends with numerous representatives of the world of art and culture. His works were awarded, among others, two gold medals at the World Exhibition in Paris (1937). The artist died (1951) in Paris.