Take a journey through the history of modern art in Poland at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków (Muzeum Sztuki Współczesnej w Krakowie). Since opening in 2011, the museum has become a valuable institution for showcasing the art of today by both local and international talents. At the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków you’ll find everything from oil paintings to photographs, sculptures and serigraphs.
The museum has two floors and an outdoor exhibition space. Its main collection, the MOCAK Collection, features almost 5,000 works by nearly 300 artists from around the world. See masterpieces by Krzysztof M. Bednarski, Pawel Althamer, Rafal Bujnowski and Stanislaw Dróżdż, among other Polish artists. Some of the international artists represented are Daniel Ashram, Deborah Sengl, Feik Beckers and Jan Christensen.
Don’t miss the permanent exhibition called Live Factory 2: Warhol by Lupa. This hands-on installation gives visitors the chance to experience the stage props and history of Krystian Lupa’s theater show, Factory 2. Lupa took inspiration from Andy Warhol’s flamboyant New York studio called the Factory. In the museum’s outdoor space are exhibits that highlight topics such as art history, political history and the Holocaust.
Check out the temporary exhibitions, many of which draw from the museum’s extensive catalog. Examples are Art in Art, Crime in Art, Gender in Art and Medicine in Art. These concepts look into an artist’s interpretation of common everyday themes.
Be sure to visit the Mieczysław Porębski Library, located in an adjacent building. It is set up to resemble the workshop of Mieczysław Porębski, Poland’s most notable art historian who bequeathed his personal catalog to the museum. At the MOCAK Bookstore purchase souvenir books on a wide range of art genres.
Located in the Zablocie district, the museum is a 5-minute walk from Kraków Zablocie railway station. Nearby attractions include the Oskar Schindler Factory and Lipowa Glass Museum.
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków is open from Tuesday to Sunday. Admission is free on Tuesday. Guided tours are available for a fee and by prior reservation. Visit the museum’s official website for more information.
