Józef Mehoffer House, Krakow

One of the most revered artists of the Art Nouveau era in Poland (a key figure of the so-called Young Poland movement), Jozef Mehoffer emerged as a painter in Krakow where he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts from 1887 to 1894.

An accomplished master of graphic art, crayon portraits, chalk drawings and etchings, he tried his hand in various techniques and media, but was particularly successful in decorative arts. Throughout his career, Mehoffer created multiple book covers and illustrations, title cards, ornaments, vignettes, initials, as well as posters, trademarks and banknotes. Also acclaimed for his stained glass and polychrome designs, Jozef Mehoffer rose to international fame by producing stained glass windows for the Gothic St. Nicholas church in Freiburg, Switzerland.

In 1932, the artist bought a house on Krupnicza Street which happened to be the birthplace of his colleague and friend Stanislaw Wyspianski. Previously, this property had left mark in the history of Krakow as a safe house for resistance activists during insurrections in the mid-19th century when Poland was partitioned between Germany, Austria and Russia.

Other than being purely biographical, the museum carries a great deal of weight in terms of artistic exhibition, featuring interior and other decorations, a number of sculptures, three stained glass windows, 120 oil paintings, drawings, designs of polychrome and stained glass windows, as well as Japanese woodcuts. A lion's share of the family memorabilia, furniture, iconography, photographs, a library and a collection of textiles have been provided by Jozef Mehoffer’s grandson Ryszard, who also helped with their arrangement. The exhibits fill up 16 rooms and reflect perfectly the atmosphere of the artist’s family house at the turn of the 20th century.