Biography
Once upon a time, a long time ago in the Kraków-Częstochowa Jurassic Highland Chain [Polish: Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska] Tomek Sętowski was born. Extraordinary sensitivity that characterized him as a little boy could be seen as soon as he was only three years old when his first painting was created.
A young dreamer had been developing his painting techniques for years, taking giant steps from local galleries to the top-rank exhibitions salons, and, at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Częstochowa Pedagogical University he gained knowledge of the history of art. The learning process took many years .... Our hero was engaged in a brave fight with the professors of the local university and, eventually, he swallowed his pride and collected his master’s diploma.
Through his paintings he engages his audience, promoters and art curators in a fairy-tale story where reality blends with fiction, owing to which the artist was fast pronounced to be one of the most original and gifted painters of the young generation who managed to create his own, unique and recognizable style.
Drawing his inspiration from everything around him, Sętowski invites himself to the best Polish galleries, long journeys with his paintings to France and Germany are successful too.
In his fairy-tale world he often impersonates a wizard and gives a new image to his favourite literary characters, which is why he is ahead of even longer journeys…, after receiving letters in recognition of his achievements from a New York gallery Stritcoff Fine Art and InterArt Gallery, Sętowski sets out to conquer America where he presents his canvases at the world’s biggest art fair in New York under the name "Museum of Imagination".
Tomasz did not have to wait long for the subsequent letters of distinction from far-away America, an eminent CFM Gallery, which specializes mostly in surrealism and symbolism, in its interiors presents Sętowski’s canvases next to the paintings by Salvador Dali, Leonor Fini and Michael Parkes ...
Years of hard work and sacrifices was Tomasz’s cost to obtain the title of one of the creators of the “magical realism” trend, there are few representatives of this trend as the creation of such works requires masterly techniques and huge imagination.
Tomasz Sętowski’s exhibitions enjoy great popularity among the best crtitics- the audience, which is proven by the fact that his exhibition of “Magical Theatre” was recognized as the region’s cultural event of the year. In the same poll, owing to people’s votes Sętowski is pronounced as the artist of the year. The year 2000 also proved to be kind to the artist as the personages of politics and culture conferred a title of the “20th Century Artist” on him, nine years later Tomek makes a sophisticated entry on the stage to collect the prize of the "Mayor of the city of Częstochowa" and the "Minister of Culture".
In the year 200 Sętowski the dreamer opens “Museum of Imagination” in his home town. As he says „I have created a tower of ivory to escape the daily life, a state within a state, the centre of the world where I am going to stay until the end of my days”. The place holds a number of secrets, is a specific funfair of art, surprising with the myriad of amazing objects. In the Museum the artist develops his visions in a lot of fields, it is here that Sętowski collects the best works of painting, sculpture, drawing and even unique jewellery pieces. Visiting this magical place one can meet monumental installations taken out of his canvases, and we feel like the characters from his stories. „Museum of Imagination” contains a gallery and a studio section. Downstairs is an amazing, colourful and, at the same time, gloomy world, the upstairs part is a paradise of creation where the artist has collected everything indispensable to him in order to work away from every day worries and problems of the modern civilization.
In years 2006-2008 Sętowski sets out on a journey to the land of gold, where he is the first artist to present his works in Burij Al Arab, Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation and Emirat Towers. Dubai welcomed the master with great approval and recognition. Also, Rolls-Royce was not indifferent to the charm of Sętowski’s works- the chapter of this brand appointed him an ambassador of one of the models of this superb luxury vehicle.
The mysterious artist’s paintings are in a lot of important private and museum collections, including Maritime Museum [Polish: Muzeum Morskie] in Gdańsk and the Museum of Fantasy Arts in Switzerland.
A lot of publications including Sętowski’s artistic work have been released, two beautiful books have been published in cooperation with the “Muza” publishing house. Sętowski’s paintings have been on the magazine and book covers for many times.
Agata Kolasińska
Tomasz Sętowski presented his works at approximately 60 individual exhibitions, including:
- 1988 Der Sparkasse Gallery - Iserlohn, Germany
- 1989 Galerie Severin - Rautenberg, Achen, Germany
- 1991 Stork Gallery - Rouen, France
- 1993 Art and Be Gallerie - Munich, Germany
- 1994 BWA- Częstochowa, Poland
- 1994 Seewolf- Oldenburg, Germany
- 1994 Galeria Grażyny Kulczyk-Poznań, Poland
- 1996 DG Consult R - Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- 1997 Club Des Cadres - Lyon, France
- 1997 Book House-Bari, Italy
- 1997 Galeria SD - Warsaw, Poland
- 1998 Maltheater ins Casineum - Velden, Austria
- 1998 Galeria Stricoff Fine Art - New York, USA
- 1999 Galeria Katarzyny Napiórkowskiej- Warszawa, Poland
- 1999 Galeria Anny Kareńskiej- Poznań, Poland
- 2000 Państwowa Galeria Sztuki- Sopot, Poland
- 2002 Muzeum Morskie- Gdańsk, Poland
- 2002 Galeria Triada- Sopot, Poland
- 2002 International Festival of ”Chopin In Autumn Colours”- Antonin, Poland
- 2003 World of Ilusions, Inter Art Gallery - New York,USA
- 2003 One Man Show-Tomek Sętowski- Hotel Aladdin - Las Vegas, USA
- 2004 Inter Art Gallery- New York, USA
- 2006 Galeria SD- Warszawa, Poland
- 2006 Jumeirah Beach Hotel- Dubai, UAE
- 2007 Burij Al Arab- Dubai, UAE
- 2007 Abu Dhabi Cultural Fundation- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- 2008 Burij Al Arab - Tomek Sętowski & Daniel Meriam- Dubai, UAE
- 2008 Emirates Towers- Tomek Sętowski& Daniel Meriam-Dubai,UAE
Participation in art fairs:
- 1993 Stockholm Art Fairs, Sweden
- 1993 International Art Fairs, Geneve, Switzerland
- 1998 Artexpo, New York, USA
- 1999 Lineart, One Man Show, New York, USA
- 2001 Artexpo, New York, USA
- 2002 Artexpo, One Man Show, New York, USA
- 2003 Artexpo, One Man Show, New York, USA
- 2008 Lineart, Gandawa, Belgium
- 2008 Lineart, Gandawa, Belgium
- 2009 Biennale, Vught, Netherlands
- 2009 Lineart, Gandawa, Belgium
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