Leopold Wellisz [Wellisch] (1882-1972), lawyer, entrepreneur and collector, admirer of beautiful prints and graphic art.

    He was a descendant of Wilhelm Wellisch, an entrepreneur, who came to Poland in the 19th century. The Wellisz family contributed to the development of railways in Poland, constructed sugar factories and contributed to the armaments industry (the Wellisz family were proprietors of the "Pocisk" factory in Rembertów).

    Leopold Wellisz owned his interest in graphic art to the well-known Cracow collector Feliks Jasieński. Conducting his businesses both in Warsaw and in Cracow, he contributed to propagating artistic graphic art in Warsaw. He convinced the proprietors of the Popular Bookshop (Księgarnia Powszechna) in Warsaw that they should sell artistic lithographs which he brought from Cracow. It was because of Wellisz’s influence that Jan Krywult exhibited prints from Cracow in his salon. Wellisz also cooperated with Polish artists working in Paris, for example with Franciszek Siedlecki.

    After 1905 Wellisz worked as an apprentice in banks in Berlin and Brussels, he also spent a year in Paris. It was at that time that he gathered materials for the history of cultural relations between Poland and Western Europe and the documentation about the œuvre of Feliks Stanisław Jasiński, an artist working in Paris.

    After 1918 Wellisz became involved in the reconstruction and development of Polish industry. He continually enlarged his collections thanks to the friendly help of Leon Wyczółkowski and the antiquarian Franciszek Studziński, who at first worked in Cracow and then took over an artistic antiquarian bookshop in Warsaw from Hieronim Wilder.

    At the moment of the outbreak of the war, Leopold Wellisz became involved in saving the endangered Polish cultural wealth, organised the evacuation of art works from Poland to the West. He was a friend of General Władysław Sikorski and became a member of his government in France. After 1940, Wellisz moved to New York where he stayed until the end of his life.

    The Wellisz collection (about 1200 works) was bought in 1964 for a small sum by the National Museum in Warsaw. It encompasses almost the complete œuvre of Feliks Jasiński, graphic works by Leon Wyczółkowski, works by Wojciech Wojtkiewicz, Wanda Komorowska, Jan Stanisławski, an album of Polish Ex Libris and works by French graphics such as Leopold Flameng, Felix Bracquemond, Eduard Hedouin, Felix Vallotton, Louis Rouet, Paul Le Rat.

Ewa Milicer
translated by Anna Kiełczewska

Feliks Stanisław Jasiński (1862–1901), after the painting by Jan van Eyck
Man in a Turban, the last but one state, 1901
Engraving, etching, parchment, 31,7 x 19,7, composition (24,2 x 18,5) plate mark [33,4 x 23]
Bottom right, the facsimile of the artist’s signature: F. Jasinski
Inscribed in pen by Jules Hautecoeur: Epreuve tirée sur le cuivre avant l'acierage | Juin 1901 JH., avant dernier état avant la remarque
National Museum in Warsaw, Inv.no.Gr.Pol.21538
Acquired from Leopold Wellisz, 1964

Jan Stanisławski (1860–1907)
Saint Mark’s Church in Venice, 1900
Colour lithography, paper, 14,7 x 15,6 [34,2 x 26,5]
Signed bottom left: JS
Inscribed bottom right: ŻYCIE [LIFE]
National Museum in Warsaw, Inv.no.Gr.Pol.21275
Acquired from Leopold Wellisz, 1964

Jan Stanisławski (1860–1907)
Poplars, 1901
Colour lithography, grey paper, 20,2 x 10,6 [24,7 x 18,6]
Signed lower left with monogram: J S
National Museum in Warsaw, Gr.Pol.21272/1
Acquired from Leopold Wellisz, 1964

Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907)
Apollo’s Head, part of a Stained-Glass Window in the Medical Society Building in Cracow, 1904
Lithography, paper, 34,9 x 32,5 [43,5 x 37,9]
Signed with the monogram in bottom right: SW
Dated: 1904
National Museum in Warsaw, Inv.no.Gr.Pol.21280
Acquired from Leopold Wellisz, 1964