Exhibition "Wlastimil Hofman's Sports Passions"

The Wisła History Association is organizing an exhibition of paintings, "Wlastimil Hofman's Sporting Passions," from June 1-19, 2024. Thanks to the support of the Wisła Sports Association and the generosity of private collectors, several works by Wlastimil Hofman, not normally available to the general public, will be presented. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be a 1:1 replica of a 1927 Wisła football team portrait from the collection of the Museum of Sports and Tourism in Warsaw.

Wlastimil Hofman was born in 1881 to a Polish-Czech family. He studied painting in Kraków under the tutelage of Jacek Malczewski, Jan Stanisławski, and Leon Wyczółkowski, among others. Hofman gained fame as a representative of the symbolic-allegorical painting characteristic of the Young Poland period. His paintings often had religious and metaphysical dimensions.

Hofman's particular artistic focus, however, was sports painting. Already a renowned artist, Hofman attended a Wisła Kraków match one day, and the players' struggles ignited his passion for the club. The painter became a loyal Wisła fan and friend of the team, expressing his affection for the club in his work.

It is precisely these sporting passions of Wlastimil Hofman that will be recalled in an exhibition from June 1-19, 2024, in the lobby and conference room of the TS Wisła Hall at Reymonta Street 22 in Krakow. Visitors will be able to admire over a dozen paintings from Wisła's collection and private collections – a particular highlight will be portraits provided by the families of Wisła players of the time, as Hofman gifted such works to the players. The centerpiece of the exhibition will be a 1:1 scale replica of the Wisła team portrait from 1927. This is Hofman's Wisła magnum opus, measuring 2.1 by 4.9 meters, and is normally part of the collection of the Museum of Sports and Tourism in Warsaw. The exhibition will also be enriched by photographs, memorabilia, and letters from Hofman. Representatives of the Wisła History Association will guide visitors through the exhibition.

The project is implemented with the financial support of the Małopolska Voivodeship.