Building your own art collection is conditioned by various circumstances and can by driven by different motives. When the art that the collector has gathered over a number of years is also a source of deep personal affection, it takes on an additional layer of meaning – a sentimental one. Zygmunt Karolak (1905–1999), a painter, graduate of Kraków’s Academy of Fine Arts, and a student of Wojciech Weiss’s, spent a lifetime searching for and realising a vision of the ideal collection, composed primarily of Japanese woodblock prints but also featuring works from a much closer cultural sphere – that of Western Europe. Sometimes acquired through meticulous research, at other times by chance, these works were treated with the utmost care and diligence.

The accounts given by the artist’s daughters, who inherited this extensive collection of ukiyo‑e and shin-hanga prints – characterized by exceptional aesthetic quality and value – offer a portrait of a man and collector driven not merely by a desire to surround himself with beautiful things, but by a need to engage with these works, allowing them to inform his artistic sensibilities. Without a doubt, he regarded them as an opportunity for profound intellectual exploration in the field of art. Zygmunt Karolak consistently followed this approach to art objects. Japanese woodblock prints were an integral part of the Karolaks’ daily life – frequently pulled from their specially prepared portfolios and examined with curiosity and attentiveness by family members. The daughters’ childhood memories include vivid recollections of their father spinning long, captivating tales about particular artists, artworks, and elaborate printing techniques – stories that unfolded naturally during evening gatherings, lasting late into the night. This was nothing less than a celebration and contemplation of objects of worshipful reverence, a practice known for centuries. Indeed that was also the kind of solemn devotion with which Zygmunt Karolak approached these works.

The accumulated items were systematically organised and securely stored to ensure their survival in intact condition. His and his heirs’ intention has always been to maintain the collection’s integrity and prevent its dispersal. In 2024, the Manggha Museum’s collection was enriched by the addition of this invaluable assembly of Japanese ukiyo-e and shin-hanga prints, collected by Zygmunt Karolak over the course of his life. Dating mostly from the Meiji period (1868–1912), these prints feature works by some of the most renowned names in Japanese art, including Kunisada, Koson, Kunichika, Kuniyoshi, and, last but definitely not least, Hokusai and Hiroshige. The collection includes depictions of beautiful women (bijin), illustrations from The Tale of Genji, and scenes from The Treasury of Loyal Retainers (Chūshingura).

The ARS LONGA exhibition aims to offer a synthetic view of what we consider the most significant works, organised into thematic sections exploring kabuki actors, valiant warriors, beautiful women, depictions of flowers and birds (kachō-ga), and the striking figural compositions found in the major triptychs of the collection.

It is also a story of the journey an artwork makes before reaching an exhibition space, where it is admired with the same ecstatic delight that once shone in the collector’s eyes.