CAZIEL: FOREVER YOURS - Paintings and Drawings 1948 - 1955

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CAZIEL A R T

6 DUKE STREET ST. JAMES’S LO N D O N S W 1 Y 6 B N TEL.+44(0)20 7930 9332 info@whitfordfineart.com w w w. w h i t f o r d f i n e a r t . c o m

F I N E

F I N E A R T

W H I T F O R D

WHITFORD

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Caziel Pages 2014_Whitford 08/04/2014 19:41 Page 1

FOREVER YOURS Paintings and Drawings 1948 - 1955

8 May – 3 June 2014

All Works are for Sale

WHITFORD F I N E A R T

6 DUKE STREET ST. JAMES’S LONDON SW1Y 6BN TEL. +44 (0)20 7930 9332 EMAIL info@whitfordfineart.com

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Above: Caziel (Kazimierz Józef Zielenkiewicz, 1906 – 1988) with Catherine Sinclair in his studio in Paris in 1952 Front cover: Celebration, 1951 (cat. no. 19)

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CAZIEL: Forever Yours

In April 1952 Caziel met the young Scottish painter Catherine Sinclair during her show at the Galerie Jeanne Castel, Paris. It was love at first sight. Officially still married to fellow Polish painter Lutka Pink, Caziel initially tried to suppress the feelings of intimacy, passion and commitment he and Catherine had mutually experienced when first setting eyes on one another.

However, Lutka’s departure for America a month later, and her silent consent to Catherine moving into Caziel’s avenue de Saxe studio announced the beginning of a life-long love story. The new couple’s presence at 59 avenue de Saxe, where much of Poland’s artistic elite gathered, proved exciting but hot in summer, cold and draughty in winter and lacking any general comfort, the couple decided during a romantic camping holiday in the South of France, that a home in the country would be better suited.

In Ponthévrard, located on the South-West outskirts of Paris, the lovebirds found their rural paradise, providing the backdrop to their secret love-affair. The headstrong artistic daughter of Sir Archibald Sinclair, Secretary of State for Air during the Second World War, with her impeccable education and social graces was not destined to fall in love with a penniless artist. Neither did Catherine wish to cause a society scandal by introducing her lover to her parents, whilst Lutka had not agreed to a divorce. Thus Katy, as Caziel affectionately called her, embarked on a double life for four long agonising years. She spent winters in Scotland and England as the dutiful daughter consigning her love to countless letters addressed to her adored Caziel back in Paris. During summer the couple would reunite with the help of Catherine’s former governess, who provided an alibi and a postal address in Paris.

At the time of their meeting, Caziel had already undergone his radical departure from the influence of his friend Picasso and proven his commitment to Abstraction, as witnessed in Ellipse, c.1948 (cat. no. 2),

Espace, c.1948 (cat. no. 3), Geometric Study, c.1949 (cat. no. 5) and Recherches, 1951 (cat. no. 16, 18, 20 and 21). His adherence to a more lyrical form of Abstraction is demonstrated in Spring Equinox, 1951 (cat. no. 17) and Celebration, 1951 (cat. no. 19), and in the morphed shapes of Organic Composition, c.1951 (cat. no. 15), Matador, c.1951 (cat. no. 10), and Nocturne, 1951 (cat. no. 14).

Catherine’s love revitalized Caziel’s creativity. As if hit by lightning, Caziel’s commitment to Abstraction was momentarily halted by his need for a more immediate figurative style to express his passion for Catherine, witnessed in a series of large black ink and wash drawings (cat. no. 28- 37). Figures in wild embrace, reminiscent of countless erotic scenes in Greek mythology, personify Caziel’s desire for his earthly love. Yet also archetypal projections of ecstasy, pain, solitude and respect are transfigured here.

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Mon coeur est plein de bonheur, 1952 (cat. no. 31), depicts the sublime purity of commitment in love. Mon corps se souvient de toi, 1952 (cat. no. 36) portrays Caziel’s energetic expression of his holistic being.

Katy, 1952 (cat. no. 33), shows a delicate classical goddess extending the branch of Peace.

These drawings appeal to our collective consciousness of what it is to be passionately in love. Caziel found it very difficult to paint when Catherine was not by his side. Catherine was his muse and goddess.

‘I shouldn’t be in love so much. It’s not good for me. Come as soon as possible. It’s impossible to live without you‘, he wrote in a letter during the autumn of 1952. Many of his letters dating that period were signed off: ‘I kiss you on the mouth, your feet, your heart and your eyes’.

An avid reader of the Greek Classics, Caziel chose the comparison of the myth of Ulysses and his patient wife Penelope to express his own love story, albeit reversing the roles. ‘I am Penelope, I sew and unpick my canvases, wait for my Ulysses-Katy.’ The association with the Greek wandering hero would remain with Caziel all his life.

During 1953, Caziel reconnected with Abstraction. In Espace, 1953 (cat. no. 38), Composition in Olive and

Grey, c.1953 (cat. no. 39) and Architectonic Composition, 1955 (cat. no. 40) he continued his unique style.

In 1955 Catherine’s announcement of her love for Caziel was received by her parents, to her own surprise, with delight. Following his official divorce from Lutka in November 1956, Catherine and Caziel were married in Paris during June 1957, with Jaime Sabartés as a witness. A year later their happy union brought forth a daughter, Clementina. Twelve years of marital bliss were lived at Ponthévrard before the family moved to Somerset, England, where Caziel and Catherine remained until their respective deaths in 1988 and 2007.

An Jo Fermon, May 2014

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1.

Figure Composition c.1951 Ink and wash 65 x 50 cm

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2.

Ellipse c.1948 Oil on hardboard 58 x 31 cm

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3.

Espace c.1948 Oil on canvas 59 x 36 cm LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.148, p.50.

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4.

Geometric Study c.1949 Oil on canvas 38 x 46 cm LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.213, p.52.

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5.

Geometric Study c.1949 Oil on canvas 44 x 28 cm LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.223, p.52.

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6.

Lyrical Forms c.1949 Oil on canvas 48.5 x 48.5 cm LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.190, p.51.

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7.

Composition of Organic Shapes c.1949 Oil on canvas 41 x 42.5 cm LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.205, p.52.

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8.

Sunset c.1950 Gouache 62 x 47.5 cm

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9.

Fixation c.1950 Oil on canvas 79.5 x 61 cm Titled verso LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.290, p.54.

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10. Matador c.1951 Ink and wash 62.5 x 48.5 cm

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11. Composition 1950 Oil on canvas 65 x 54 cm Dated '1950. XII' verso LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.257, p.53.

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12. Composition c.1950 Charcoal 19 x 35.5 cm

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13. Composition 1950 Charcoal 31 x 48 cm Signed and dated ‘5.50’ lower left

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14. Nocturne 1951 Charcoal 48 x 62 cm Signed and dated lower right

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15. Organic Composition c.1951 Charcoal 48 x 62 cm Signed lower centre

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16. Recherche 1951 Gouache and wax crayon 48 x 62.5 cm Signed and dated '51.IX' upper left

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17. Spring Equinox 1951 Gouache 55 x 76 cm Signed and dated '51.IX' upper right

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18. Recherche 1951 Gouache and wax crayon 48.5 x 62.5 cm Signed and dated '51.IX' upper left

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19. Celebration 1951 Gouache 62.5 x 48 cm Signed and dated ’51.XII’ lower right

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20. Recherche 1951 Gouache and wax crayon 48.5 x 62.5 cm Signed and dated '51.IX' upper left

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21. Recherche 1951 Gouache and wax crayon 63 x 48 cm Signed and dated '51.IX' upper right

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22. Figure Composition 1951 Ink and wash 64 x 50 cm Signed and dated ’51.7’ lower centre Signed, dated '52 - VI' and inscribed verso

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23. Forms in Space c.1951 Ink and wash 65 x 50 cm

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24. Composition c.1951 Gouache 63 x 48 cm

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25. Geometrical Composition 1952 Oil on canvas 130 x 162 cm Signed and dated '1952.II' verso

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26. Composition with Mandolin c.1952 Charcoal 32 x 24 cm

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27. Composition 1952 Charcoal 46.5 x 29.7 cm Signed and dated '52.4' lower right

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28. Odalisque c.1952 Ink and wash 65 x 49.5 cm

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29. Expression c.1952 Ink and wash 65 x 50 cm

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30. Figure Composition c.1952 Ink and wash 65 x 50 cm

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31. Mon coeur est plein de bonheur 1952 Ink and wash 65.5 x 50 cm Signed and dated '52.30 mai' upper left Inscribed 'Mon coeur est plein du bonheur' upper right

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32. Caty 1952 Ink and wash 65 x 50 cm Signed, dated '16 Juin 1952' and inscribed 'Caty' upper right

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33. Katy 1952 Ink, wash and pencil 65 x 50 cm Signed, dated '52 July' and inscribed 'pour Katy' upper right Inscribed lower right

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34. Le Couple c.1952 Ink and wash 62 x 47.5 cm

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35. Katy 1952 Ink and wash 65 x 49.5 cm Signed and dated '52-VII' verso

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Caziel in his studio in Paris in 1952

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36. Mon corps se souvient de toi 1952 Ink and wash 65 x 50 cm Signed and dated '52 juin' lower right Inscribed 'Mon corps se souvient de toi' upper right

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37. Meditation c.1953 Pen, ink and wash 62.5 x 47.5 cm

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38. Espace 1953 Oil on canvas 75 x 49 cm Signed and dated ’53.6’ verso LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue Raisonné. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.305, p.54.

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39. Composition in Olive and Grey c.1953 Oil on canvas 49.5 x 57 cm LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.186, p.51.

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1

Figure Composition

2

Ellipse

3

Espace

4

Geometric Study

5

Geometric Study

6

Lyrical Forms

7

Composition of Organic Shapes

8

Sunset

9

Fixation

10

Matador

11

Composition

12

Composition

13

Composition

14

Nocturne

15

Organic Composition

16

Recherche

17

Spring Equinox

18

Recherche

19

Celebration

20

Recherche

21

Recherche

22

Figure Composition

23

Forms in Space

24

Composition

25

Geometrical Composition

26

Composition with Mandolin

27

Composition

28

Odalisque

29

Expression

30

Figure Composition

31

Mon Coeur est plein de bonheur

32

Caty

33

Katy

34

Le Couple

35

Katy

36

Mon corps se souvient de toi

37

Meditation

38

Espace

39

Composition in Olive and Grey

40

Architectonic Composition

WORKS

All works come from the Estate of Caziel and are signed or bear the Studio stamp

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40. Architectonic Composition 1955 Oil on canvas 50 x 61 cm Dated '22.VI.55' verso LITERATURE: MONKIEWICZ, Dorota. Caziel 1906-1988, Catalogue RaisonnĂŠ. National Museum, Warsaw, 1998, cat. rais. no.314, p.55.

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CHRONOLOGY and EXHIBITIONS 1906 1914-20 1931-36 1932-37 1937 1939 1940 1941 1944-46 1946

1947 1948-56 1951 1952 1953 1957 1958 1963 1966 1968 1966-68 1969 1978 1983 1988 1990 1991 1992 1995 1997 1998 2001 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

Born in Sosnowiec, Poland, on 16th June.

Spent his childhood and youth moving around Russia, as his family escaped from the advancing German forces and subsequently had to hide from the Communists.

Studied painting at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Art. Met Jewish painter Lutka Pink.

Exhibited at Loza Wolnomalarska (Lodge of Free Painters).

Won a State Scholarship to Italy and Paris.

Settled with Lutka Pink in Paris.

Married Lutka Pink.

Volunteered for the Polish Army in France.

After France signed the Armistice with Germany, the Polish army was disbanded and all Polish soldiers were advised to make their way to the South of France or Spain.

Caziel and Lutka were sheltered by Blaise Cendrars in Aix-en-Provence before being moved by the French Resitance to Auvergne.

Caziel and Lutka moved back to Aix-en-Provence.

Caziel and Lutka moved back to Paris. Despite being promised important teaching posts as well as state sponsorship for his work by the Polish authorities, Caziel chose to stay in Paris, to protect Lutka from the shock of having to return to the country where she lost all her relatives in Auschwitz.

Designed the Polish Pavilion for UNESCO International Exhibition of Modern Art. First one-man show at Galerie Allard, Paris.

Met Picasso with whom he developed a long friendship.

Exhibited annually at the “Salon de Mai” in Paris.

The Musée National d’Art Moderne purchased one of his monumental canvasses.

Fell in love with the Scottish painter Catherine Sinclair. Together they moved to Ponthévrard, just outside Paris.

The Vatican commissioned four large paintings for their Museum of Modern Religious Art. Designed frescoes for French architect Jean Ginsberg.

Married Catherine Sinclair.

Catherine and Caziel’s daughter Clementina was born.

Exterior design for a fresco for the Atomic Energy Commission at Tollemache House, Thurso.

First one-man show in London hosted by the Grabowski Gallery.

Second one-man show at the Grabowski Gallery, London.

Exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts, London.

Moved his family from Ponthévrard to Somerset, England.

Exhibited at the National Museum, Warsaw – Circle of Tadeusz Pruszkowski.

Exhibited works on paper at the Summer Exhibition at Fair Maids House Gallery, Perth.

Died in Somerset.

Memorial Exhibition at the Polish Cultural Institute, London.

Exhibition at the Butlin Gallery, Dillington House College, Ilminster, Somerset.

Exhibition of works from 1945 – 1988 at the Royal West of England Academy, Bristol.

Exhibition Caziel: Substance and Light, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Exhibition Caziel: Drawings from the Forties, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Exhibition Caziel: Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Retrospective Exhibition at the National Museum, Warsaw.

Exhibition Contour and Line: Selection of Works on Paper from 1965, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Exhibition Caziel: Abstraction 1963 – 1967, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Retrospective Exhibition at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London.

Centenary Retrospective Exhibition, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Exhibition Caziel: ‘Je suis abstrait’ - Works from the Fifties, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Exhibition Caziel: Drawings and Watercolours 1935 – 1952, Whitford Fine Art, London.

Exhibition Caziel: In Search of a New Reality, Whitford Fine Art, London.

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© Whitford Fine Art Edited by An Jo Fermon Exhibition management Gabriel Toso Produced by Artmedia Press Ltd • London

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CAZIEL A R T

6 DUKE STREET ST. JAMES’S LO N D O N S W 1 Y 6 B N TEL.+44(0)20 7930 9332 info@whitfordfineart.com w w w. w h i t f o r d f i n e a r t . c o m

F I N E

F I N E A R T

W H I T F O R D

WHITFORD