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ANDRZEJ UMIASTOWSKI (POLISH B.1956) Man at the Table oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm (31 7/8 x 25 1/2 in.) framed dimensions: 83 x 67 x 3 cm (32 5/8 x 26 3/8 x 1 1/8 in.) signed and dated lower right PROVENANCE Private Collection, New York LOT NOTES Born in Sopot, Poland, in 1956, Andrzej Umiastowski graduated with honors in 1984 from the Painting Department of the Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts (formerly PWSSP), studying under Professor Jerzy Zabłocki. Since then, he has built a prolific artistic career with more than 130 solo exhibitions held in Poland and abroad (Belgium, France, Germany, the UK, Norway, the U.S.) He currently lives and works in Koleczkowo, a village in the Kashubian region near the Tricity area. Umiastowski’s early work, particularly of the 1980s, often bore the mark of a darker, more introspective visual language: muted palettes, emotionally charged interiors, and subtle figurative distortion. Over time, especially from the early 1990s onward, his style has evolved - embracing a more vibrant, luminous chromatic sensibility while retaining a persistent emphasis on the human figure as central motif. What remains consistent throughout his oeuvre is the primacy of light, mood, and metaphor. In his works, figures emerge and recede in relation to an ambient environment: landscapes, seasonally inflected skies, interior spaces, or poetic atmospheres. Though nature plays a crucial role in his visual idiom (trees, skies, fields, shifting colors with the seasons), he does not produce pure landscapes. Rather, every environment is inhabited, and every setting carries psychological weight. In Umiastowski’s hands, the human presence is at once familiar and slightly uncanny. Figures are often slightly exaggerated - elongated limbs, gently distorted proportions, expressive gestures - that flirt with the boundaries of the grotesque or allegory. These stylizations are not merely decorative: they serve as expressive conduits for mood, narrative slippage, or emotional resonance. Observers have described his characters as “funny on the surface but often sad,” imbued with a mixture of warmth, solitude, and poetic introspection.  CONDITION Observed in frame, the painting is in good condition, two barely visible miniscule scratches along the right edge. Not inspected under UV light. N.B. Condition reports are available upon request. All lots are sold in as-is condition at the time of sale. Please note that any condition statement regarding works of art is given as a courtesy to our clients in order to assist them in assessing the condition. The report is a genuine opinion held by Shapiro Auctions and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report or a photograph does not preclude the absence of defects or restoration, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Shapiro Auctions, LLC., including its consultants and agents, shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. Keywords: Polish Art, Polish Contemporary Artist, oil painting