Auction “Post-War & Contemporary Art. Expression and New Figuration” the first of the year at DESA Unicum, offers a unique opportunity to look at the development of Polish contemporary art over the past four decades. The starting point is the expression of the 1980s—a time of intense social and political transformation that found its reflection in art. During this period, artists moved away from abstraction, choosing figuration as a more direct and personal language of expression.


An important part of the auction is formed by works of members of the legendary Warsaw-based Gruppa: Ryszard Grzyb, Paweł Kowalewski, Jarosław Modzelewski, Włodzimierz Pawlak, Marek Sobczyk, and Ryszard Woźniak. Their work, full of energy, color, and expressive gestures, served as both a commentary on reality and an artistic manifesto of their generation.


The auction also includes works by younger artists who refer to the tradition of New Figuration, developing it in their own contemporary way. Together, the selection creates a narrative about continuity, change, and the power of expression, showing how the ideas initiated in the 1980s remain vibrant and inspiring to this day.