Zdzisław Beksiński did not like to speak about himself, and when he did, it was with distance, irony, and often a touch of dark humor. He was a master of creating haunting, often dark, and yet disturbingly beautiful worlds. He portrayed himself as an introvert reluctant to make public appearances, someone who chose drawing over sports, solitude over fame, and the peace of creative work over honors.

Born in Sanok in 1929, trained as an architect, he followed his own path throughout his life—not so much against the current as alongside it—eluding definitions, labels, and classifications. He spent his life searching for the means to express himself most fully: he was a photographer, a draftsman, a sculptor, a writer, and finally—and above all—a painter. Contrary to the image of the “painter of horror,” he was a man of great intelligence, self-irony, and sensitivity—an artist who constantly sought new forms of expression, and perhaps even answers.

He died tragically on February 21, 2005, brutally murdered in his Warsaw apartment.

On the 20th anniversary of the Master’s death, the Museum of Fantastic Art in Warsaw, in collaboration with the Historical Museum in Sanok, invites you to the 2nd edition of the exhibition “Beksiński in Warsaw”. This event is not only an opportunity to encounter 44 paintings and 9 drawings—including works being publicly shown for the first time—but also a chance to reflect on his long, surprisingly coherent, and ever-evolving creative journey. From his earliest attempts to his final compositions, from figurative drawings to monumental painted visions—Beksiński remains an artist whose works need no titles or labels to move us, shake us, and remain etched in memory.

The exhibition will feature, among other works, paintings from the private collections of Beksiński’s close friends, who for the first time have agreed to share them with a wider audience.

The first edition of the exhibition in 2021 attracted more than 70,000 visitors. Remarkably, even with such impressive attendance, the show closed with a strong sense that the public’s extraordinary appetite for Zdzisław Beksiński’s art remained far from satisfied. That was evident in the seemingly endless line of visitors eager to see the Master’s work in the final moments of the exhibition.

2nd Edition of the Exhibition “Beksiński in Warsaw” – Museum of Fantastic Art – May 31 to September 28, 2025.