Kazimierz Adamiec was born in 1917 in Łódź, the main textile city in Poland. He remained connected to this city throughout his life. He worked as an unskilled factory worker in one of the large textile factories and developed a passion for painting at a young age, dedicating almost all his free time to it.
Romance in spring
Adamiec mainly painted oil paintings in light colours. He depicted ordinary people at family gatherings, picnics, festivals. He also painted animals and still lifes. His works are characterised by a childlike appearance and a magical atmosphere.
After he was awarded first prize in a competition for non-professional artists in 1959, his work came to the attention of the art-loving community of Łódź. In the 1960s he took part in a large number of individual and group exhibitions. His work was received enthusiastically and he was soon considered to be one of the recognised naive painters.
Horse-drawn carriage in sunny village
In the 1970s, Adamiec reached the peak of his popularity both in Poland and abroad. His paintings were particularly appreciated in Italy. The renowned galleries ‘Cristoforis’ and ‘La Feluca’ – both located in the historic center of Rome – organized sales exhibitions of his work. Following their promotional activities, he participated in a series of solo and group exhibitions, and his works sold well there too. Since Adamiec was not officially recognized as an artist in Poland, the export had to be handled by the Polish Association of Visual Artists, which acted as a broker for non-professional art. Adamiec received a fee that was barely enough to cover his costs and the purchase of new painting materials.
Three cyclists in sunny village
In the early 1980s, due to the Polish martial law (1981-1983), his foreign exhibitions came to an end, and the social unrest and malaise in Poland led to a standstill in the art world. Although Adamiec was officially recognized as a professional artist by the Minister of Culture and Art in 1986, he did not manage to regain his prominent position from the 1970s. Adamiec continued to paint until his death in 1999.
Hunt on horseback, detail
His work has been exhibited in many exhibitions in Poland and Italy, including Galery Collicola in Spoleto (1972 and 1973), Galery Alfieri in Venice (1972), Galery La Feluca in Rome (1973), International Exhibition in Pordenone (1974), Museum Rotonda della Besana in Milan (1974), Hammer Gallery in Milan (1975), Biennale in Como (1974), International Exhibition in Riccione (1974), and Gallery Elektrownia in Czeladz (2017)
Paintings by Adamiec are included in the collections of museums in Poland (Krakow, Łódź, Warsaw, Szczecin), Rome, Germany (Stuttgart and Bonn), Switzerland (Neuchâtel), and London, as well as in important private collections both domestically and abroad
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