Born: 1905 Stryj, Poland
Died: 1975 Kraków, Poland
Year of Migration to the UK: 1940
Other name/s: Tony Wasilewski
Biography
Artist Antoni Wasilewski was born on 17 February 1905 in Stryj, Congress Poland (now Poland). From 1915 to 1918 he attended the Jesuit Care and Educational Facility in Chyrów and participated in the 1918 Polish-Ukrainian war. After completing his schooling in Kraków in 1924, he studied at the Higher School of Industry while attending classes at Kraków's Academy of Fine Arts and Ludwika Mehoffer’s Free School of Painting and Drawing. A versatile artist, skilled in illustration, caricature, painting, and graphic design, Wasilewski debuted professionally in 1923 in the satirical magazine Szczutek. From 1924 he contributed to Ilustrowany Kurier Codzienny, and between 1930 and 1939 served as editor-in-chief of the satirical weekly, Wróble na Dachu ( Sparrows on the Roof). In 1938, his satirical drawing W Obecnym Sejmie Zasiada Tylko Jedna Kobieta ( Only One Woman Sits in the Current Sejm )critically addressed the marginalisation of women in Polish politics. With the onset of the Second World War, Wasilewski was mobilised on 24 August 1939 for propaganda duties. After retreating to Romania and internment at Roşiori de Vede, he escaped, reaching France in March 1940, before fleeing to Scotland in June with Polish forces, following France’s defeat.
In Britain, Wasilewski’s artistic and editorial career flourished, significantly enriching both Polish émigré communities and British cultural life. Initially based at the Polish military camp in Douglas, Lanarkshire, in Scotland, he co-founded and edited the Dziennik Żołnierza (Soldier’s Daily) and the satirical magazine Werniks. From 1942, he lived in London, serving as editor for the influential newspaper Dziennik Polski (Polish Daily). Later returning to Scotland, he organised various cultural initiatives, including Polish clubs, theatrical performances, concerts, and art exhibitions.
Wasilewski’s artworks, often depicting wartime experiences and daily military life, were exhibited widely in locations across Britain, including Douglas, Forfar, Belfast, Leicester, Bradford, Birkenhead, and Edinburgh, earning critical praise and public acclaim. In 1941, he held a solo exhibition at the Old Parish Church Hall in Forfar, featuring around 150 works, among them portraits and a visual chronicle of the Polish Legion’s journey through Romania, France, and Scotland; several pieces were sold, and part of the proceeds supported the local War Activities Association (Forfar Dispatch, 1941, p. 2). Between 1941 and 1942, Wasilewski participated prominently in the touring exhibition The Art of Five Polish Soldiers, alongside artists Aleksander Żyw, Zygmunt Haupt, Adam Bunsch, and Stanisław Mikula. Organised by the Polish government’s Ministry of Information, this influential exhibition travelled extensively throughout Britain, reaching significant venues such as the Usher Gallery in Lincoln, Williamson Art Gallery in Birkenhead, Bluecoat Chambers in Liverpool, and the Municipal Museum in Belfast, vividly presenting the wartime perspectives and talents of the Polish artists. In 1947, Wasilewski enrolled at Edinburgh College of Art, refining his illustrative skills and further establishing his artistic reputation. His illustrations appeared in prominent British publications, including The Scotsman, Evening Dispatch, Weekly Scotsman, The Bulletin, Glasgow Herald, Sunday Express, and notably The Sketch, where he published under the pseudonym ‘Tony’. In Edinburgh, he also decorated the newly opened Polish House at 58 Dalkeith Road, a cultural centre operated by the Scottish branch of the Relief Society for Poles, fostering Polish-Scottish cultural exchange during the resettlement period.
In 1949, Wasilewski held a solo exhibition at Edinburgh’s International House, displaying 55 artworks that included landscapes and character studies. Demonstrating exceptional speed and artistic skill, he frequently appeared on BBC television, sketching celebrity portraits live, earning widespread acclaim; BBC presenter Lady Malcolm introduced him as ‘perhaps the fastest artist in the world’ (Polish Armed Forces in the West exhibition catalogue, p. 8). His notable British achievements included participation in prestigious group exhibitions at the Royal Scottish Academy (1941–1947), the Allied Exhibition, and the renowned Edinburgh International Festival. In 1950, he exhibited South Queensferry Harbour at the annual Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours exhibition, praised for its fluid style and structural clarity (The Scotsman 1959, p. 9). At the 1951 Edinburgh International Festival, Wasilewski exhibited witty and insightful caricatures of festival personalities and scenes at the Highland Home Industries, praised for their lively characterisations and sense of place ( Daily Record 1951, p. 4). A further solo exhibition followed in 1952 at 24 Castle Street, Edinburgh, featuring caricatures of Edinburgh Festival personalities, Scottish landscapes, and pen drawings, demonstrating his precise and witty depiction of fleeting expressions. One of his works, Dyrygent, a depiction of conductor Sir Thomas Beecham, was dedicated to the Edinburgh Festival of 1953.
In 1957, after eighteen years in Britain, Wasilewski returned permanently to Kraków, contributing regularly to magazines such as Szpilki and Przekrój. His solo exhibitions at Kraków’s Society of Friends of Fine Arts in 1959 and 1963 attracted considerable attention, and in 1961 he was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Kraków Salon. In 1974, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his artistic and journalistic career. Antoni Wasilewski died in Kraków, Poland on 18 April 1975. His work is not currently represented in UK public collections.
Related books
- Adam Supruniuk, "Permanence and Liquidity.” Polish Art in Great Britain in the 20th Century - Introduction to a Description, Archives of Emigration, Nicholas Copernicus University, Torun, Vol. 3 (33) 2023, pp. 311–366
- Polskie siły zbrojne na Zachodzie w rysunkach Antoniego Wasilewskiego = Polish armed forces in the West in Antoni Wasilewski's Drawings (Rzeszów: Instytut Pamięci Narodowej Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu, 2019)
- ‘Polish Artists Exhibits’, The Scotsman, 22 August 1952, p. 5
- ‘R.S.W. Exhibition’, The Scotsman, 28 January 1950, p. 9
- ‘One Man Show’, Edinburgh Evening News, 15 December 1949, p. 5
- ‘An Artist on the Edinburgh Festival’, The Sketch, 31 August 1949, p. 21
- ‘Caricatures’, Edinburgh Evening News, 10 November 1948, p. 2
- ‘New Polish House’, Edinburgh Evening News, 27 January 1948, p. 2
- ‘War Through Polish Eyes’, Rochdale Observer, 26 August 1944, p. 4
- ‘Polish Painters’, Liverpool Daily Post, 9 March 1943, p. 2
- ‘Comrades Escaped as Artist Drew Sentry’, Leicester Evening Mail, 5 October 1942, p. 6
- ‘Polish Art Exhibition’, Belfast News-Letter, 4 August 1942, p. 4
- ‘The Tragic Loss of the Reid Hall’, Forfar Dispatch, 29 January 1942, p. 3
- ‘Polish Genius in Lincoln Gallery’, Lincolnshire Echo, 19 January 1942, p. 3
- ‘The Exhibition of Pictures in Black-and-White’, Forfar Dispatch, 21 August 1941, p. 2
- ‘Art in Polish Rest Room’, Bradford Observer, 17 March 1941, p. 4
Related organisations
- Academy of Fine Arts, Krakow (student)
- BBC Television (contributor)
- Edinburgh College of Art (student)
- Edinburgh International Festival (contributor)
- Ludwika Mehoffer’s Free School of Painting and Drawing, Krakow (student)
- Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour (exhibitor)
Related web links
- From the Land of Poland to Schweppeshire: Polish artists in Great Britain
- Krakowski Auction House
- Muzeum Karykatury, Warsaw
- Nautiluls Galeria
- One Bid
- 'Permanence and Liquidity', Adam Supruniuk
- Sketch ‘Dyrygent’, Desa database of Polish art
Selected exhibitions
- Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland (1953)
- Solo exhibition, 24 Castle Street, Edinburgh, Scotland (1952)
- Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland (1951)
- Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolours, Edinburgh, Scotland (1950)
- Solo exhibition, International House, Edinburgh, Scotland (1949)
- The Art of Five Polish Soldiers, touring exhibition: Usher Gallery, Lincoln; Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead; Bluecoat Chambers, Liverpool; Municipal Museum, Belfast; Douglas, Leicester, Bradford (1941–42)
