| Józef Makowski | |
| Native Name Lang: | pl |
| Birth Date: | 19 August 1914 |
| Birth Place: | Thorn, |
| Death Place: | Bydgoszcz,  Poland |
| Resting Place: | Catholic cemetery of the Holy Trinity in Bydgoszcz |
| Nationality: | Polish |
| Known For: | Sculpture |
Józef Makowski (1914–1997), was a Polish sculptor and painter whose works are associated with Bydgoszcz.
Józef Makowski was born in Toruń, then part of the German Empire, on 19 August 1914. He was the son of Józef and Anna née Besdun.
In Toruń, he attended the gimnasium "Nicolaus Copernicus". In 1935, he underwent training at the Reserve Cadet School in Brodnica, then Strasburg in Westpreußen. From that period dates one of his first works, a bust of Marshal Piłsudski.[1]
After getting his matura, Józef studied from 1936 to 1939 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, in the studio of prof. Tadeusz Breyer, working on sculpture and painting (portraits). He also started to appear in regional exhibitions.
During World War II, Makowski was a Home Army (Polish: Armia Krajowa) second lieutenant of the 4th Infantry Division. Under the nom de guerre of "Ziuk",[2] he served in the 67th Infantry Regiment.
Captured and wounded after the defeat, he was moved to the hospital of the Altergrabow camp.[3] After recovery, he was placed in Sandbostel Stalag X-B, where he met Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, Roman Bratny and Jan Dobraczyński. From his friendship with Gałczyński, Józef Makowski made several portraits for the Polish poet.[3]
Back to civilian life, Józef Makowski had various jobs: he participated in the decoration of the "industrial exhibition" that took place for the 600th anniversary of Bydgoszcz.[3] Then he was the artistic director of a stone workshop, before working at the "Building ceramics factory" (Polish: Fordońskie zakłady ceramiki budowlanej) in Fordon. In 1947 he was employed as an announcer at the Polish Radio.[3]
Makowski associated mainly his artistic activity with the city of Bydgoszcz. His most remarkable works include the following elements:
The author himself commented on his monument:[1]
In addition, Józef Makowski realized interior design, such as for the Pharmacy Under the Swan in Gdańsk Street.
Furthermore, he was also a regular graphic designer for the local newspaper "Gazeta Pomorska" and the author of one of its vignettes.
Some of his sketches were exhibited at the Pomeranian Army Museum in Bydgoszcz, in two sessions: "Warsaw Insurgents' Gallery" (Polish: Galeria Powstańców Warszawskich) and "Warsaw Insurgents in Caricature" (Polish: Powstańcy Warszawscy w Karykaturze).During his post-war career, he was participated in national (e.g. Radom, Zakopane) and foreign exhibitions (Florence, 1968).[3]
Makowski lived in Bydgoszcz (Błonie district) until the end of his life. In 1994, celebrating his 80th anniversary, a specific exhibition was organized at the Municipal Art Gallery of Bydgoszcz.[3]
Józef Makowski died on 6 October 1997. He was buried at the Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery in Bydgoszcz.
Józef Makowski was the first husband of Polish actress Helena Makowska-Fijewska (18 May 1918 in Rybno – 1 October 1993 in Warsaw).She was a student of Polish singer Eugenia Hoffman-Weikertowa.[10] She made her debut in 1946 in Łódź. She played afterwards at the "Nowy Theater" in Warsaw and at the Polish Theater (1968–1974).[10] Her repertoire included also TV, radio and movie roles.Helena's second husband was Polish actor Tadeusz Fijewski (1911–1978).[10]
Józef and Helena had a daughter, Ilona.[1]
Helena's older sister was the actress Urszula Modrzyńska (1928–2010).
| width=10% | Name | width=5% | Date of creation | width=15% | Location | width=35% | Remarks | width=30% | Picture |
| Stone fishes gushing out water | 1950 | Mill Island | Initially placed in lieu of the monumental fountain "The Deluge" on Plac Wolności | ||||||
| Monument to the fallen railwaymen[11] | 1964 | Prussian Eastern Railway Headquarters | |||||||
| "The broken rose" | 1969 | Commemorating junior high school students murdered on 5 September 1939 by the Nazis | |||||||
| Bielicki memorial | 1971 | Bielice Forest | Dedicated to the 51 citizens of the Bydgoszcz murdered by the Nazis on 5 December 1939. | ||||||
| Frédéric Chopin | 1973–1975 | Pomeranian Philharmonic | Outdoor gallery statue | ||||||
| Ignacy Jan Paderewski | 1973–1975 | Pomeranian Philharmonic | Outdoor gallery statue | ||||||
| Memorial of the "Valley of Death" | 1975 | Fordon district | The monument is part of a martyrological complex, in which alleys, sculptures, symbolic graves and commemorative plaques have been integrated. | ||||||
| "Monument to the Polish aviators" | 1980 | Błonie district |
Two works from Makowski are no more existent:
Józef Makowski created works in other cities, such as:
Makowski designed also interiors for "Herbapol" company establishments throughout Poland.
Furthermore, he realized graphics and paintings.[1] Apart from Bydgoszcz institutions (e.g. City Hall, Provincial Office in Bydgoszcz, Leon Wyczółkowski's District Museum), his works are in the hand of private collectors, in Bydgoszcz, Poznań, Warsaw and abroad (Japan, Germany, Belgium).[3]
Source:[3]
On March 24, 2010, Bydgoszcz authorities named a street after Józef Makowski. It runs between Lisia street and the Bydgoszcz Canal in Prądy district.