The Foksal Gallery has existed since 1966. It was founded by artists: Zbigniew Gostomski, Tadeusz Kantor, Edward Krasiński, Roman Owidzki, and Henryk Stażewski as well as art critics: Wiesław Borowski, Anka Ptaszkowska, and Mariusz Tchorek.

The Gallery is a not-for-profit expositional and research establishment. During the first twenty years of its operation, surrounded by institutions controlled by the national system of monopoly, the gallery did not give up on developing an independent artistic program. The main goals which the gallery set itself were: to enable independent artists to present their works in shows and expositions as well as to create an international perspective for Polish art by developing direct contacts with artists and art institutes in other countries. These goals were achieved thanks to the accepted principle of acting on the margin of the official artistic scene. as well as using different forms of “camouflage” to overcome the obstacles and attempts at censor’s intervention in communist times. Andrzej Turowski, presently art history professor at the Burgundy University in Dijon, systematically contributed to the creation of the gallery’s program in the 70s.

The Gallery has become the scene of many artistic encounters, among others the happenings of Tadeusz Kantor, and expositions and installations, whose authors were, among others, Henryk Stażewski, Zbigniew Gostomski, Edward Krasiński, Stanisław Dróżdż, Zygmunt Targowski, Koji Kamoji, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Andrzej Szewczyk, Marek Chlanda, and from other countries: Lars Englund, Robert Barry, Christian Boltanski, Anette Messager, Daniel Buren, Lawrence Weiner, Michael Craig-Martin, Arnulf Rainer, Victor Burgin, Anselm Kiefer, and Royden Rabinowitch.
In the 80s and 90s, the authors of expositions were often artists of the young and youngest generation, among others Leon Tarasewicz, Mirosław Bałka, Paweł Althamer, Tom Friedman, Zuzanna Janin, Jadwiga Sawicka, Gregor Schneider, Luc Tuymans, and Robert Maciejuk.

The gallery has also given the possibility of existence to artists of the youngest generation. In 2003 Marzena Nowak debuted here. Projects were also presented by the following promising young artists: Rafał Jakubowicz, Wojciech Gilewicz, Małgorzata Dawidek Gryglicka, and Angelika Markul.

Until 1984 Foksal Gallery operated under the patronage of the Pracownie Sztuk Plastycznych (Workshops of the Fine Arts), later it came under the direction of the Stołeczne Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych (Municipal Bureau of Art Expositions). Presently, it is part of the organizational structure of the Mazovia Region Centre of Culture and Arts. Until mid 2006 it was directed by one of its founders - Wiesław Borowski. The gallery is now directed by Jaromir Jedliński, who has been working with it since the late 90s.

Warsaw, 00-950, Foksal 1/ 4
tel. 0 22 827-62-43
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www.galeriafoksal.pl