POSK Collection - A Polish Cultural Isle in London!

This sunny Saturday morning I arrived in Ravenscourt Park and caught Santa red-handed! ;-)

Round the corner, The Polish Cultural Centre looked as it should: patriotic and Christmas-geared:

How great it was to have an exclusive tour of The Polish Cultural Institute Collection! The POSK Collection is an extensive permanent exhibition of various Polonica accumulated over the years of The Polish Cultural Institute's existence. We can't have dreamed of a better guide than Mrs Monika Skowrońska who has devoted a lot of her time and energy to creating this amazing 'Isle of Poland' abroad.

Two examples of posters produced by some arts students from Poznan:

They need frames, otherwise they would just sit there, on a pile in the corner...  Pictures that need frames - that brings back memories from my work in a school when I obtained a lovely set of laminated posters from The British Council. When I announced it at the teacher-parents meeting, one father came up to me afterwards and said that, being a carpenter, he had some spare wood suitable for the frames and could gradually make them if it wasn't urgent! Who knows? Maybe someone will come across this blog entry and will offer the same for POSK? There are so many successful and reputable Polish tradesmen in the UK!:-)

This is how Polish children brought up in England were taught about the map of their forefathers' land!

 The large picture shows a scene from the time when Poland was under martial law...

 I remember the grim Sunday morning of December 13^th 1981 when at home we turned on the TV and saw the news reader in a military uniform announcing the news. Those were frightening times, tanks in the streets, lots of special armed forces called ZOMO and many harsh restrictions which added up to already difficult times with food shortages, coupons and queues for everything… Nobody knew then how the situation was going to work out…

But then, I have great memories of December 13^th exactly thirteen years later. That was the day when I was taking a group of English language students from my school and my town on the first ever educational trip to England from the area, to give them first-hand experience of the language they were learning in its natural environment.

I may write more about it in the future…

Now back to the POSK Collection.
The painting on the left, by Adam Bunsch, can be interpreted as a tribute to the civilian victims of war.

Taking a picture of an ornamental egg that I can't buy for my friend who collects them is simply a must. I wonder if this artist produced more of the eggs like that, or just the one. I was shown a few other items from his studio.

This cup caught my eye and reminded me of a Kopenhagen china tea set somebody bought in Sheen the day before.

Would you believe that the Indian Madonna and Child  commemorating the Polish children who survived the war on the Indian soil and the portrait of the eminent Polish leader Józef Piłsudski were among the items rescued from a skip somewhere? It's saddening how many things of amazing historical importance get thrown away.

Among the works that were for whatever reason rejected by the recipients or owners, we found a portrait of the reigning Queen. Apparently, Her Majesty didn't like it.

I took a picture of this drawing hanging high above as it showed soldiers during Christmas Eve supper, the most important meal in the Polish Christmas tradition..

We heard and saw so much that it would be impossible to report it all here. This place is well worth a visit.

Leaving POSK I photographed a typical Cracow crib in one of POSK windows:

I do admire people who have the patience and talent to make such amazing things.

Good night! :-)