Stanislaw Tym

STANISŁAW TYM
Retrospective exhibition

September – November 2017

Showcase of works by Stanisław Tym – actor, director, screenwriter, comic book designer and press cartoonist. For the first time, we will be able to see the author's drawings. These will be mainly cartoons published in "Tygodnik Kulturalny", where he debuted as a cartoonist in 1986, and in "Rzeczpospolita" (2002-2005). Works are satirical, touching on social and political issues. Each of them provides a brilliant commentary on reality, dressed in the artist's sarcastic humour. The exhibition will feature "Armchair. Tym's Political Organ", a satirical column edited by the author in several dozen issues of the daily "Rzeczpospolita" since 2001. The show will also presen, among others, fragments of texts, sketches and theatrical pieces from the time of the STS – Students' Satirical Theatre and the Warsaw cabaret "Dudek". They are examples of dramatic and cabaret writings which secured the author's place among the creators of the "Theatre of Absurd".

Stanisław Tym born July 17, 1937 in Małkinia) – stage and film actor, screenwriter, dramatist, author of cabaret sketches, theatre and film director, co-creator and performer of entertainment and satirical programs on radio and television, columnist and illustrator. From 1958 he studied for two years at the PWST Acting Department in Warsaw. He graduated in 1964. Since 1957 he colaborated with the Students' Satirical Theatre as actor, writer and director. In the years 1963-1964 he was the STS theatre director. In addition to the numerous sketches and lyrics for the variety programmes, he wrote, "The Post Office Is Never Wrong" (1966, directed by Izabella Cywińska-Adamska) and "Dear Mr. Ionesco" (1968, directed by the author).

Co-author of the cabaret "Owca" (Sheep) for which he wrote texts along with Jerzy Dobrowolski and Andrzej Bianusz. (The one and only performance of "Owca" took place at the premises of "Szpilki" on 24 April 1966). He collaborated with other cabarets, such as: "U Lopka", "Wagabunda" and "Dudek". (sometimes using the pseudonym Andrzej Kill). His two famous sketches for "Dudek" are: "Ucz się Jasiu" (Go on learning Johnny) and "Duży sęk" (Big knot in wood) which were presented in the show "Fantomas contra Dudek" (1970). In the years 1970-1972 he co-created a radio program "Decybel" with Jerzy Dobrowolski. Together with Dobrowolski he also wrote the play "Ciemny grylaż" (Dark Grilling) based on work by Aurel Baranga (1980, directed by Jerzy Dobrowolski, Teatr Rozmaitości in Warsaw). In the years 1984-1986 he was the director of the Drama Theatre in Elbląg. Later on he directed plays at the "Rampa Theatre" (1987-1994) and "Powszechny" Theatre (1994-2006). In the "Powszechny" Theatre he directed, among others His one-act opera "Skarb" (Treasure) in 1996 and "Szopka Tyma z Brodą" (Tym's Nativity Scene with Broda), 1998. For that productio, realised together with Tomasz Broda, he received the annual award "Eryk" from SPAK in 1999. Recently he directed his own plays: "Dżdżownice wychodzą na asfalt" (Worms Come Out On The Road), 2009 in "Polonia" Theatre in Warsaw and "Gazeta spada zawsze papierem do góry" (The Newspaper Always Falls Paper Side Up), 2011 in "Polski" Theatre in Szczecin. His plays were staged on televison, among others: "Nie ma takiego problemu" (There Is No Such Problem) - the same play with the changed title "Poczta się nie myli" (The Post Office Is Never Wrong), was directed in 1968 by Izabella Cywińska-Adamska and "Rozmowy przy wycinaniu lasu" (Conversations While Chopping Down The Forest), 1999, directed by the author himself. Known for his role in the movie "Rejs" (Cruise), 1970, directed by Marek Piwowski. Co-creator of Stanisław Bareja's films: "Brunet wieczorową porą" (Dark Haired Man In The Evening), 1976 – script writer and dialogue writer, "Miś" (Teddy Bear), 1980 – dialogues, directorial colaboration, actor. The author of the script and dialogue, also an actor in the film "Rozmowy kontrolowane" (Controlled Conversations), 1991, directed by Sylwester Chęciński. Tym made his own film "Ryś", 2007 – scriptwriter, director, actor. He colaborated with "Szpilki", editing among others PAT (Tym's Private Agency), 1992.

As a columnist he cooperated with magazines: "Literatura" (1972-1975); "Tygodnik Kulturalny" (1986-1989), where he began to regularly print his satirical drawings in 1986; "Wprost" (1991-1998), for which he drew occasionally; "Rzeczpospolita" (2001-2005), where he first ran "Fotel. Polityczny organ Tyma" (Armchair. Tym's Political Organ) "printed on the last page of the Saturday-Sunday edition, and published his editorial pieces along with the drawings in the supplement "Plus Minus; Polityka" (since 2007). Recently he has been publishing drawings in "Gazeta Wyborcza" (2013-2016; weekly column "Tym's Politics"). Awarded Złota Szpilka (Golden Pin) in 1992. In 2005 in Gdańsk, during the VI Festival of Good Humour, he received an award for life achievements. Author of books with his own illustrations: "Mamuta tu mam. Utwory zebrane spod łóżka", (I Have A Mammouth Here. Collected Stories From Under The Bed), 2005 and "Pies czyli Kot. Felietony z lat 1972-2014", (Dog Meaning Cat. Short Articles From Years 1972-2014), 2014. Also "Ryś" appeared as a book: Stanisław Tym, "Ryś. Napisane do czytania dla nakręcania" (Ryś, Written To Be Read To Wind You Up), 2007 illustrated by the author.

Works from the collection of the author and from the collections of:
Muzeum Teatralne in Teatr Wielki – National Opera
Instytut Teatralny im. Zbigniewa Raszewskiego
Poster Museum in Wilanów, Department of the National Museum in Warsaw
and press materials

Exhibition curator: Karolina Prymlewicz

Poster design: Wojciech Freudenreich

Catalogue design: Paweł Osial

Partner of the Museum of Caricature

Partners of the exhibition

Media patrons

STANISŁAW TYM
Retrospective exhibition

opening night: 28 September 2017
29 September – 26 November 2017

Rzeczpospolita

Tygodnik kulturalny