Sculpture for the Wall Unit

Ceramic penguins, monkeys, strongmen, and pin-ups decorated the “meblościanka” - the wall unit - in Polish flats for nearly the entire communist era. This show at Królikarnia presents the original prototypes behind those now-collectible figurines.

National Museum on the exhibition:

Ceramic penguins, monkeys, strongmen and sex bomb figurines adorned wall units in Polish flats for the entire duration of the communist era. These remarkable porcelain “chamber sculptures” caused quite a sensation abroad and continue to delight design enthusiasts to this day. Their designs were created in the mid-1950s at the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw, by a team of designers comprising: Henryk Jędrasiak, Mieczysław Naruszewicz, Hanna Orthwein and Lubomir Tomaszewski.

The several hundred ceramic designs depicting animal and human figures were all characterised by modern sculptural form and non-representational painted decoration. The designs were created with mass production in mind. They were meant to be available to individual buyers wishing to furnish their homes in accordance with the latest trends in art and design. The modern figurines were produced in large numbers by all porcelain factories operating in Poland in 1956-1965.

The exhibition showcases the collection held at the National Museum in Warsaw. It is unique, since it is composed entirely of prototypes made under the direct supervision of four outstanding designers from the Institute of Industrial Design. It is they who developed the distinct, frequently copied style, and created the most impressive designs. Visitors will be able to admire the sculptural nature of the items and the original language of form invented by their makers.

What to expect

The exhibition runs from 14 May to 15 November 2026 at the Xawery Dunikowski Museum of Sculpture at Królikarnia, a National Museum branch. You’ll see ceramic prototypes of figures - people and animals - made under the personal supervision of four outstanding designers from the Institute of Industrial Design. Several hundred such designs were created, and Polish porcelain factories mass-produced figurines from them between 1956 and 1965. These are originals, not later mass-production copies.

Tickets at the Museum of Sculpture: standard ticket 15 PLN (about 3 EUR), reduced 10 PLN (about 2 EUR). Opening hours: Wed-Thu, Sat-Sun: 10:00-18:00, Fri: 10:00-20:00, Mon-Tue: closed. The family ticket, the combined ticket with the National Museum’s Main Building and the Museum of Interiors in Otwock Wielki and the other prices are on Królikarnia’s visitor page.

Updates

• 2026-10-26 - exhibition extended to 15.11.2026, originally until 25.10.2026 (sources: the exhibition page at the Museum of Sculpture, dates 14.05.2026-15.11.2026; the museum’s competition notice, in Polish: the show can be seen “until 15 November”)

Museum profile: National Museum in Warsaw.