Zbigniew Grzyb

Biography:

Zbigniew Grzyb was born in Poland in 1943 and earned his master’s degree at the Academy of Fine Art in Kraków. A Pollack Krasner Foundation grant recipient, his work has been shown in solo exhibitions at museums and galleries including the National Museum in Poland, The Cooley Gallery in Old Lyme, CT, and the New Britain Museum of American Art. His work is included in the Connecticut Artists Collection and The William Benton Museum of Art, among other public and private collections.

 Exhibitions & Art Fairs:

EDUCATION
1965−1971 Academy of Fine Art, Kraków, Poland;

1960−1965 Jarosław High School of Art.

AWARDS/GRANTS
2008 – New Boston Fund Individual Artist Fellowship;

2001 – Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant;

2001 – Individual Artist Grant, Greater Hartford Arts Council;

1984−85 – Blanche E. Colman Grant, Boston, MA;

1971 – Polish Ministry of Art and Culture Grant;

1966−68 – Annual Academy of Fine Art Award for Drawing, Kraków, Poland.

SELECTED ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2018 – A New Reality, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT;

2016 – Gateway Crossing, Barnes-Franklin Gallery, Farmington, CT;

2015 – Zbigniew Grzyb : Recent Paintings. Brick Walk Fine Art, West Hartford, CT;

New Paintings. Stockman Gallery, New Britain, CT;

2014 – The Italian Paintings. Brick Walk Fine Art, West Hartford, CT;

2012 – Zbigniew Grzyb. Immamura Gallery, Krakow, Poland;

2011 – Zbigniew Grzyb : A Retrospective. Manchester Community College,
Manchester CT;

Branch/Sky Series. Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT;

Zbigniew Grzyb /USA/ Malarswto. Kastel Szymbarku, Poland;

Zbigniew Grzyb. Liceum Sztuk Pieknych, Jaroslaw, Poland;
2010 – The National Museum in Przemyśl, Poland (Muzeum Narodowe Ziemi
Przemyskiej);

The Radiant Line, Brick Walk Fine Art, West Hartford, CT;

2009 – Paintings, The Landmark Gallery, Tarrytown, NY;

2006 – Art in the Heart of the City, New Britain City Hall, New Britain, CT;

New Work, Paesaggio at 100 Pearl, Hartford, CT;

2004 – Recent Work, Paesaggio Gallery, West Hartford, CT;

2002 – Recent Work, Paesaggio Gallery, West Hartford, CT;

2001 – NEW/NOW, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT;

1999 – 10 Year Retrospective, Paesaggio Gallery, West Hartford, CT;

1996 – Recent Paintings, Paesaggio Gallery, Canton, CT;

1995 Gateway Crossing: Black Paintings, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, CT;

1993 – Paesaggio Gallery, Hartford, CT;

1991 – Inaugural Exhibition, Paesaggio Gallery, Hartford, CT;

1989 – University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT;

1986 – The Art Guild, Farmington, CT;

1985 – Saltbox Gallery, West Hartford, CT;

1983 – New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 – Susan Finnegan & Zbigniew Grzyb: Recent Work, Five Points Gallery,
Torrington, CT;

2023 – From the Vault: Post-War to Contemporary Art, New Britain Museum of American Art, CT;

2017 – Black & White, The Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT;

2015 – Zbigniew Grzyb & Grant Frost at 360 State Street. Reynolds Fine Art, New Haven, CT;

Sunstruck. Brick Walk Fine Art, West Hartford, CT;

2014 – Wielka Wystawa Z.P.A.P. w Rzeszowie, BWA, Rzeszow, Poland;

Let It Snow : Selected Works, Brick Walk Fine Art, West Hartford, CT;

Pure Abstraction : The Work of Zbigniew Grzyb and Gregory West;

Reynolds Fine Art, New Haven, CT;

2011 – International Painting “East-West” Muzeum Dwory Karwacjanow i Gladyszow, Gorlice, Poland;

2009 – Current Connecticut, Paper New England at ArtSpace, Hartford, CT;

2008 – Speak to Me: Connecticut Biennial, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT;

2007 – Konfrontcja, Galeria Rynek 6, Jarosław, Poland;

2006 – Heart in Hand, Paesaggio Fine Art, Hartford, CT;

2004 – 10 Years at 100 Pearl, 100 Pearl Gallery, Hartford, CT;

2003 – Physical Culture, Paesaggio Gallery, West Hartford, CT;

2001 – Collecting at Paesaggio: A Tenth Anniversary Celebration, Paesaggio Gallery, West Hartford, CT;

1998 – DD-MM-YY, 50 Bartholomew Street, Hartford, CT, curated by David Borawski;

1997 – Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT (three-person exhibition) Gallery Artists, Paesaggio Gallery, Canton, CT;

1996 – Notewell, ARTSPACE, New Haven, CT;

1994 – Zbigniew Grzyb & Tom Doyle, 100 Pearl Gallery, Hartford, CT;

Gallery Artists, Paesaggio Gallery, Canton, CT;

1992 – Times 3, Aetna Gallery, Hartford, CT; 
1991 – Ten for Ten, Paesaggio Gallery, Hartford, CT;

1987 – Inaugural Exhibition, Bayless Gallery, Norfolk, CT;

1986 – Connecticut Academy of Fine Arts 76th Annual Exhibition, New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT;

1982 – Paean to Spring, Saltbox Gallery, West Hartford, CT;

New England Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture, Silvermine Guild Center for the Arts, New Canaan, CT;

1981 – A Poetic View, Fischer Gallery, Farmington Valley Art Center, Avon, CT;

1978−79 – Ellsworth Gallery, Simsbury, CT;

1974−78 – Zarick Gallery, Farmington, CT;

1973 – Rami Uhler Gallery, Ankara, Turkey;

1972 – Duccio Gallery, Sienna, Italy;
1971−72 – Exhibited with “Seine” group of artists:
Gallery Z.P.A.P. (Polish Society of Art), Rzeszów, Poland.

Statement:

“I paint because I must. Painting is my life; everything else is secondary. Process is the most important part of my painting. Through the process, you can see the art.

When painting, you have to be humble enough to respect your subconscious. The most sophisticated thing in the human brain is being humble to the  unknown. When you start thinking rationally or reasoning you are further away from painting. Trust yourself and things will come to you at the right moment. An artist’s strength lies in respecting the mystery of creation. I believe the painting exists before I put paint to canvas. It’s my job to bring it to life”.