This year, for the fourth time, the National Leon Wyczółkowski Painting Competition will take place in Bydgoszcz. The competition is for Polish painters, and its goal is to promote modern painting and to popularize knowledge about the outstanding artist – the patron of the competition – Leon Wyczółkowski, who was closely associated with Bydgoszcz. The competition is organized by the Bydgoszcz district of the Association of Polish Visual Artists (ZPAP), co-organized by the Municipal Gallery bwa in Bydgoszcz, and partnered by Municipal Centre of Culture in Bydgoszcz, Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz.
For the first stage, 487 authors submitted 1222 images. Based on digital photographs submitted by the authors, the jury qualified 148 works, 78 authors for the second stage. The jury will then qualify the works for the post-competition exhibition based on the submitted originals and choose the winners from among them. The exhibition will be held traditionally at Municipal Gallery bwa in Bydgoszcz, on two exhibition floors.
The first three places will receive financial prizes (1st place – PLN 15,000, 2nd place – PLN 8,000, 3rd place – PLN 5,000). It is also planned to award a prize of the Leon Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz in the form of a museum purchase, and the award of the President of the Bydgoszcz district ZPAP in the form of an individual exhibition at the Wspólna Gallery in Bydgoszcz.
The jury will meet in June and its composition will be known after the selection. The opening will take place on July 18th and the exhibition will last until August 30th. A catalogue will be published, which will contain one work of each author qualified for the post-competition exhibition.
This year’s edition was marked by the pandemic related to SARS-COV-2 virus, the dates of individual stages have changed, among others. Everything also suggests that the great celebration, which the opening always is, will have to change its formula a little.