ABOUT CULTURE - 06.2010

A Polish actorand an American star
Although Daniel Olbrychski only has a supporting role in the American film „Salt”, the Polish celebrity took it without hesitation. Thanks to that, he has a chance to work with Angelina Jolie – one of the most beautiful and most desirable women in the world. And Daniel, in spite of his years, is still a great connoisseur of feminine beauty. Olbrychski’s fame and personal charm must have intrigued Angelina Jolie, since she showed Daniel around New York herself. Later, however, they both got down to serious work. Olbrychski plays a Russian spy in Philip Noyce's film, and Jolie is a CIA agent. Though they are rivals in the movie, it did not keep them from spending time together after filming.

Ars Homo Erotica
The exhibition related to homosexual motifs in art, which is planned to be organized in the National Museum in Warsaw in summer this year, arouses many people’s interest. It seems that the interest over the exhibition has nothing to do with art, it is related to politics and ideology only, although homosexuality is one of the oldest topics of art and culture, regularly exhibited abroad since 1970s. The project of the exhibition was ready as early as in October. It is to present about 200 works created for all types of media: from ancient vases to posters and videos. The exhibition is to be composed of two basic elements: old artworks from the collection of the National Museum and contemporary art from Central-Eastern Europe. The exhibition is connected with the international event of Gay Pride Week that is supposed to take place in Warsaw this summer.

New Polish Star in Acting?
Polish filmmakers are predicting that actress Agata Buzek (a daughter of the President of the European Parliament and former Polish Prime Minister) is to be a great world success. For the role of Sabinka in the very popular film entitled Rewers (Reverse), Agata Buzek received the Golden Lion for the best female lead at the Film Festival in Gdynia. ‘Agata is an extremely sensitive and able actress. She is creative and very diligent. She is a very modest person, but I am sure that there is a great world career ahead of her. There are just few such able and interesting actors,’ says Borys Lankosz, the director of Rewers.

Wezyr Merefnebef in Warsaw
In 1998, a team of Polish archeologists under the direction of Professor Karol Myśliwiec from Warsaw discovered the tomb Merefnebef in Egypt, which is more than 4,200 years old, from the times of the Old Kingdom. The lid of the sarcophagus had been left slightly opened; the bones of the mummy were in disarray, which means that grave robbers had already stolen the original gold and robes. Since tourists do not have access to the tomb, Polish archeologists decided to create a lifesized replica of it, made out of a material similar to egyptian limestone. The design has already been made by an engineer from Poznań, Daria Tarara. The chapel will be 9 meters long, and 4 meters in height and width. The model will be shown at museums in Poland and abroad, and its permanent home will be the National Museum in Warsaw.

For Real Music Lovers
A new album by ARMS Records has been released, containing pieces that were never registered on a CD before in the Polish record industry. These great performances cover not only the symphony orchestra, but the organ as well.
The organ concerto by Francis Poulenc is a true soloist concerto, while in the Symphony No. 3 by Camille Saint-Saens the proportions are just inverse. The organ is blended in the orchestra and it does not play a role of a single instrument but rather of a separate section. The soloist Jan Bokszczanin is accompanied by one of the oldest and most award-winning orchestras from behind our eastern border.
The whole undertaking has been conducted by Alexander Anissimov who is a very experienced conductor. The final of the composition by Saint-Saens is not just about the beautiful music, but it is also an excellent test for the potential of the hi-fi system. Obviously, no technology can make music sound exactly the same way as during a live performance, but thanks to the high quality of the recording the effect can be comparable. Several Belorussian artists have been involved in the project. Vladimir Tsesler prepared its visual part, while Leonid Petrenko is the author of poetry. Ivan Shumski, the owner of the Belorussian company called Regula, is the patron of the record.
The album has been press-formed on a golden carrier and it is a limited edition – only 1,000 pieces will be available on the market. The launching is scheduled for the beginning of June.

Leonardo da Vinci in Warsaw?
After journeys abroad, Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine – the most precious painting in the Polish collection, is to live – as befits a lady – in a castle. It will not be Wawel in Krakow, though, as Lady is moving to Warsaw. After the exhibition entitled „From Botticelli to Titian” in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, the famous portrait will be displayed in the Royal Castle in Warsaw, as there is redecoration in the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow where it was previously exhibited. Lady with the Ermine was painted about 1483-1490 in Milan. The identity of the model was unknown for a long time. Now, we know that it is Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of duke Ludovico Sforza