At 5pm on Sunday the 31st of March, Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology will be a meeting place for two exceptional personalities. Rafał Jablonka, one of the most important contemporary art collectors and the founder of Jablonka Galerie and Böhm Chapel, will talk about his passion for art with Adam Zagajewski, the laureate of many literary prizes, a poet, essayist, critic, translator and, for many years – a friend.
This meeting will be a prelude to the first edition of Cracow Art Week KRAKERS.
‘Art isn’t supposed to be extraordinary, it has to be timeless’
Rafał Jablonka is an art dealer, collector, curator, and a gallery owner. For 30 years he owned Jablonka Galerie – one of the most well known international art institutions in Germany.
He opened his first gallery in Cologne in 1988.
As he mentions: ‘I thought that I don’t really have anything interesting to say as an intellectual and a student of the history of art’
His intuition, highly noticeable when he was buying art for his own collection, worked very well during his work on the art market. He focused mainly on international contemporary art, but especially American Pop Art.
Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, David LaChapelle, Francesco Clemente, and Sherrie Levine – works created by them were shown in the Jablonka Galerie.

An unusual art gallery

The idea to buy a church came to be because the form of the building reminded the collector of a sculpture. Built in 1956, the St.Ursula’s Church is a key place on an artistic map of Cologne. From the beginning, Bohm Chapel became a place to show off the collections of contemporary art, a concert hall and a meeting place for the artists and those passionate about art.
‘This humongous sculpture is quite expensive, however, you don’t have to pay for a place to keep it in’ – Jablonka smiles.
‘Böhm Chapel is a different format of a gallery. We have electricity to plug the vacuum cleaner in, but there is no artificial light – this object is opened only in the light of day. This is why we open our exhibitions at noon’ – he explains.
In his conversation with Adam Zagajewski, Rafał Jablonka will talk about the beginnings of his collection, his experience as the owner of a gallery. He will also share his opinion about the role of patronage in art, and opportunities and risk related to the art market.

The meetings in the ArtCollecting series are a part of Cracow Art Week KRAKERS and their aim is to provide insight about collecting art to a broader audience.

The entrance is free.

This event is a part of Cracow Art Week KRAKERS
8th – 15th of April 2019
www.cracowartweeek.pl
www.instagram.com/cracowartweek
Institutional Partner
Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology
Cooperation: Modern Catering | Café Manggha