Zdzislaw Henryk RUSZKOWSKI
The son of an artist, Ruszkowski was born in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland, on 5 February 1907. He studied at the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts (1924-9) and continued his studies at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts from 1930 to 1932. On the death of his father, a small inheritance enabled him to travel to Paris in 1935. When World War II broke out he joined the Polish Army in France. When France was invaded, he escaped to Spain and made his way to Scotland where, in 1941, he re-joined the army.
In 1944 he moved to London, holding his first one-man exhibition there in 1948. The next year, he rented a Newlyn studio from a friend for two summers. Paintings from this period are held in the Simonow Collection (France) and include Cornish Landscape (1949), House in Newlyn (1950), Penzance Beach (1950) and Three Girls against the Wind (Newlyn, Cornwall) (1952).
Ruszkowski died in London, aged 84, on 18 May 1991.
media
Portraits, still-life, nudes, landscapes, genre and coastal views.
works and access
Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums
Harlow Playhouse
Leeds City Art Gallery (View of St Michael's Mount, Cornwall c. 1950)
POSK Art Collection, London
Simonow Collection (France)
Torun University (Poland)
exhibitions
RA 1957-1960 (7)
1966 Leeds City Art Gallery (retrospective)
misc further info
Portrait of Henry Moore in his studio, 1954
He painted in Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Scotland and Spain in addition to Cornwall.
With thanks to George Bednar for contributing this researched entry.
references
The Paintings of Ruszkowski (1982)
Unofficial War Artist (1985)
Ruszkowski: Catalogue Raisonne of his paintings (1987)
The above three by Michael Simonow, pub. Mechanick Exercises, London