Andrzej Ciechanowiecki was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1924. He studied Art History at the University of the Western Lands in occupied Poland during the Second World War, and later at Jagiellonian University, Kraków in 1950. After permanently moving to London in 1961, Ciechanowiecki became a notable gallerist and art dealer, and was a leading figure in exhibiting baroque and neo-classical French art at his Heim Gallery between 1966 and 1986.
Gallerist, art historian and antiques collector, Andrzej Ciechanowiecki was born in Warsaw, Poland on 28 September 1924. He was the only child of Jerzy Stanisław Ciechanowiecki, a Polish diplomat, and Matilda (‘Tilly’), née Countess Osiecimska-Hutten-Czapska, a prominent figure in the elite social circles of pre-war Warsaw. Coming from a Masovian noble and senatorial family who were impoverished after the Treaty of Riga in 1921, Ciechanowiecki spent his early childhood in Budapest, Hungary, only returning to Warsaw after his father’s death. The family was disrupted on the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and they moved around Poland in attempts to avoid the conflict. Nevertheless, Ciechanowiecki managed to study Art History at the University of the Western Lands, an underground university in occupied Poland during the war, where he was lectured by Władysław Tatarkiewicz. After a period working for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the government of the newly-installed People’s Republic of Poland, he then moved to Kraków, obtaining a degree from the Academy of Economics in 1947, followed by an MA in History of Art at the Jagiellonian University, in 1950 where he was immediately appointed lecturer in History of Art. This post, and the completion of his PhD thesis, was interrupted when he was imprisoned in the Ministry of Public Security and Makotów Prison (both in Warsaw) between 1952 and 1957 for allegedly helping British and Vatican spies. Upon release and his subsequent acquittal, Ciechanowiecki completed his doctorate, followed by academic posts in the UK, USA, Germany and Portugal where he lectured on Polish culture. In 1961, after careful consideration, he decided to settle permanently in London, England, ‘where he arrived with two pounds in his pocket, a substantial address book, and, above all, a flair for finding works of art of high quality’ (Bowron, 2017).
Soon after his arrival, Ciechanowiecki was offered a directorship in the newly-founded antique dealership, Mallett at Bourdon House, a subsidiary of the prestigous firm, Mallet & Son, on Bond Street. He organised four ground-breaking exhibitions during his time at Mallett’s, mainly focused on 19th Century French sculpture, including Sculptures of Jules Dalou in 1964 (for which he wrote the accompanying catalogue). In 1966 he established the London branch of the French Heim Gallery, eventually becoming the gallery’s sole owner after buying out former partner François Heim. He held 38 successful exhibitions at Heim, combining paintings and sculptures, mostly from the baroque and neo-classical periods. Ciechanowiecki's innovative catalogues were used as source material for the main London auction houses, and openings of exhibitions were attended by senior figures from the Royal Family, including HRH the Queen Mother, as well as members of the government, ambassadors, scholars, society figures and museum directors. An unknown artist of a group of anonymous sculptures he collected at Heim were also named after him, known in the scholarship as the ‘Ciechanowiecki Master’ (Knox, 2015).
In his commercial activities, Ciechanowiecki always gave preference to British museums in picking the best items at keen prices; his way of repaying a debt, in his own words, ‘to the country of my happy adoption’ (Bowron, 2017). Outside of Heim Gallery, Ciechanowiecki lectured in the UK and had articles published in various scholarly magazines. He also instigated several international art exhibitions, such as Giambologna 1529-1608: Sculptor to the Medici in 1978, created in collaboration with the British Arts Council and shown at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Kunthistorisches Museum in Vienna. After selling Heim Gallery in 1986, Ciechanowiecki opened the smaller and more specialist Old Masters Gallery just opposite his previous premises, though this was closed in 1995 when he suffered a stroke. In 1992 he co-organised the important exhibition, Treasures of a Polish King, held at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London.
After 1995, Ciechanowiecki’s ‘phenomenal energy only slightly reduced’, and he continued to travel ‘to fulfil his many charitable commitments, and to maintain, despite his failing health, his international friendships’ (Montagu, 2016). Outside the UK, he was closely involved with the Detroit Institute of Art, USA, the Belarusian scholarly community (abroad and in London) and established the Ciechanowiecki Foundation in the Royal Castle in Warsaw. He collected honorary doctorates and awards, many from Poland, as well as distinguished orders such as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. ‘To his regret, he never received any such recognition from his adopted country’ (Montagu, 2016). Andrzej Ciechanowiecki died in London, England on 2 November 2015, aged 91. He never married and had no children. Heim Gallery records are held in the archives of The Getty research Institute, California, USA.