News:

Leon Wyczółkowski's pastel, titled "Rural girl in a yellow scarf" from 1900, was recovered after being spotted at an online auction by staff at Poland’s culture ministry.

A piece of art which went missing during WWII has been returned to Poland after 70 years.

Leon Wyczółkowski's pastel, titled "Rural girl in a yellow scarf" from 1900, was recovered after being spotted at an online auction by staff at Poland’s culture ministry.


Leon Wyczółkowski (1852-1936) was born in Huta Miastowska, in east-central Poland and was one of the leading painters of the Young Poland movement.

Until the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Wyczółkowski's pastel was stored in a Wawel Royal Castle warehouse.

It disappeared during the German occupation and was placed on a list of war losses.

The artwork, signed by the artist, portrays a young girl dressed in a dark tunic, light-coloured skirt pleated from the waist and wearing a yellow, patterned scarf on her head.

Andrzej Betlej, the director of the Wawel Royal Castle, said that the pastel would be shown in spring 2022, along with 11 other paintings by the artist during a special exhibition.

Wyczółkowski (1852-1936) was born in Huta Miastowska, in east-central Poland and was one of the leading painters of the Young Poland movement.

The work was donated to the Royal Castle collection by Leon Piniński, a law professor and rector of the University of Lviv, who was also an art lover and collector.