embassy events 2009
Helena Modrzejewska Exhibition Opens in Warsaw
22 October 2009
As a part of the year-long celebration of the 90th anniversary of Polish-American diplomatic relations, the U.S. Embassy is a proud sponsor of the Polish National Opera Theater Museum’s exhibit,
“Helena Modjeska: For the Love of Art.” Helena Modrzejewska (known as Modjeska in the U.S.) was a heroine of the stage and of audiences across Europe and America. Her life and accomplishments are shining examples of the centuries of cultural exchange between Poles and Americans. The exhibit presents the life and work of this prominent stage actress, who won the hearts and respect of both Polish and American theater audiences at the end of the 19th century. In 1876 Modrzejewska emigrated to Southern California with her husband, son, and several friends. There, they founded a utopian Polish colony on a ranch near Anaheim that Modrzejewska and her husband bought. Please
click here to read the full biography of Helena Modrzejewska.
The exhibition was earlier presented at Krzysztofory Palace in Kraków by the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków. It offers over 300 artifacts: portraits, photographs, theater posters, costumes and the actress’s personal memorabilia. Some of them came from the
Bowers Museum in California.
The exhibition is organized under the honorary patronage of Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the Embassy of the United States in Warsaw and the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow. Visitors will have a chance to see a full-length documentary "Modjeska - Woman Triumphant" by a California filmmaker Basia Myszynska.
