The Centenary - Muzeum Narodowe we Wrocławiu

On the Anniversary of the Great Exhibition of Silesian Medieval Art

31 July – 30 December 2026

dwuskrzydłowy drewniany złocony ołtarz – szczegółowo wyrzeźbione postaci Marii, Chrystusa i Świętych — Poliptyk Zaśnięcia Marii z kościoła Bożego Ciała, 1492 – w szafie środkowej Zaśnięcie Marii i Chrystus z duszą Marii

Fot. A. Podstawka

Curator of the exhibition: Agata Stasińska

This presentation commemorates the 100th anniversary of the exhibition entitled “Schlesische Malerei und Plastik des Mittelalters”, organised by Heinz Braun and Erich Wiese in Szczytniki district of was then Breslau.

At that time this was not just a great museum event, but above all a great step in the research on medieval art of Silesia. The exhibition also provided a monumental catalogue published three years later, still a priceless source of knowledge for scholars of this period.

Contemporary visitors will certainly find interesting the presented changes regarding research on Silesian medieval art and the development of museums which took place during the last hundred years. Another interesting aspect is the multifaceted narrative of the exhibition, dedicated to, among others, curators of that historic exhibition and medieval Masters, whose names were returned to the history of art of that period owing to their research.

Focusing on the artefacts themselves, it is possible to study their changes both in terms of theory, constituting subject of research in art history, and in practical terms – as objects subject to conservation procedures.

Visitors can view the medieval artefacts included in the exhibition of 100 years ago, and also those which for a variety of reasons were then excluded, as well as exhibits which, despite the efforts of the then curators, never made it to the exposition.

The actual location of this exhibition is also of great interest – in 1926 gothic artefacts were displayed in the exhibition pavilion which today houses the Four Domes Museum of Contemporary Art. Thus, in 2026 the building once again provides the setting for the presented masterpieces of Silesian art of the Middle Ages.

The exhibition is part of the “Gothic in Poland” project – realised in 2026–2027 by the National Museum in Wrocław, the National Museum in Poznań, and the Wawel Royal Castle in Kraków.