Cezary Pieczyński (1967) is an art dealer and collector interested mostly in avant-garde currents. He began collecting photography with the works of Bronisław Schlabs and the so-called anti-photography school, as well as the works of Karol Hiller. His interests also included sphotographic abstraction, processed pictures and 1970s conceptualism. At the same time, Pieczyński made sure that his collection continued to feature works by international artists, allowing the Polish works in the collection to be seen as an inherent part of the discourse of 20th-century photography. Cezary Pieczyński’s collection is perhaps best summed up by his own remarks: “I was simply always more interested in photography that shapes reality. Maybe I was too thorough and careful a reader of Artistic Adventures in Photography by Urszula Czartoryska.”

 

Pieczyński’s collection is now one of the most important in Poland. Among the landmark exhibitions that his collection has been shown in are Latent Capital and Oh no, not sex and death again! (both in 2010). Focused on the subject of corporality, the Live Flesh exhibition showcases the rich diversity of Polish and international photography, featuring works by influential artists such as Nan Goldin, Nobuyoshi Araki, Boris Mikhailov, and Thomas Ruff.