Talk by Elżbieta Smoleńska in the studio of Feliks Topolski 12 of May 2024

Let me tell you a little personal story. Many years ago I used to walk past Topolski Bar on the way to work at BBC World Service. It was nice to see familiar Polish name.

Those were the happy days when journalists oblivious to health and fire risks would edit interviews nonchalantly smoking with tonnes of flammable tape under their feet. On the shelves were the most precious interviews. Boxes with names such as general Anders, general Sikorski and… Feliks TOPOLSKI.

Fast forward. Last year I had a pleasure of meeting Lucien Topolski here at studio at the opening of the exhibition curated by Julia Griffin. At the vernissage I mingled with people and realised that even among my close artists friends many have met Feliks Topolski. And this is how this project and idea of „Polski ToPolski” started.

Feliks Topolski

When you look at most of his biographies they start with a sentence: he came to London in 1935 and he made a career in Great Britain. But I profoundly disagree with such statement. When he came to London he was already at the peak of his artistic career in Poland.

He studied at prestigious Warsaw Art Academy, drew sketches for iconic Polish satirical literary weekly “Cyrulik Warszawski”, (Warsaw Barber). He made set design for the most famous theatres or cabaret events. And when he barely graduated newly established Polish Institute for the Promotion of Modern Art commissioned him to paint a mural. He cleverly depicted marshal Piłsudski and all the most influential politicians, aristocrats, writers, intelectuals and celebrities of the time with a cup of coffee! It was a fashionable café where Warsaw bohema used to hung out.

Pruszkowski Rector of the Art Academy in Warsaw, avid aviator, was Feliks Topolski’s good friend. This is how Tadeusz Wittlin fellow contributor of “Warsaw Barber” remembers Feliks Topolski from this time (around 1933) when he just returned from his tour of Europe.

”My trip to London was just a short excursion, 14 days. Feliks talks in his distinguished style. ‘You could say it was just reconnaissance. Impressions are amazing! I reckon I will be going there again, especially that Tonio is trying to persuade me’ Feliks is looking towards count Sobański. “Who knows whether I will not consider and stay there much longer? or even move there for good?” He swallows a spoon of crayfish soup and smacks his lips with appetite. “England is a wonderful country, lush and green. Intuitively I feel that success is awaiting me there and might attack me suddenly from behind the corner…”

And isn’t that what you call a premonition?

So Feliks Topolski arrived in London in 1935 in style, on board of the Polish ship for which Tower Bridge was raised. He and count Sobański were to cover silver jubilee of King George the V for major Polish newspaper “Wiadomości Literackie”.

Well connected aristocrat and writer Prince Sobański helped Topolski to find his first pied á terre near Sloane Square.

At the time Topolski admits that his English was rather rudimentary so sophisticated Sobański helped to spread the word about the artist literally by dragging a suitcase full of his drawings to famous Café Royal. Where among others Jacob Epstein, Nye Bevan, Duke of Sutherland and other celebrities of the time used to occupy elegant marble tables with novelty: phones on top of them. That will explain why Feliks was so pleased having maybe a very modest aboad but with a phone number beginning with SLO (symbolisinig Sloane Square).

Feliks as his name suggests was lucky. Series of serendipitous events combined with charming personality and obviously great talent did the trick. An artists Julian Travellyan lent him his studio overlooking Thames. (film director, Eugeniusz Cękalski, good old friend from Warsaw also happened to have turned up in London).

In 1938 Feliks Topolski met G.B. Shaw. (Let me make a small digression they met in White Hall Tower just over the Thames from here. Many years later Topolski himself lived in the same building). G.B. Shaw and Topolski became good friends. Topolski illustrated many of his books and made portraits. Playwright said about him: “an astonishing draughtsman… perhaps the greatest of all the impressionists in black and white.” No doubt such an influential friend caused that many doors became wide open.

Within his first year in London Topolski had had a book published with now iconic drawings called „The London Spectacle”. Topolski was fascinated by British class system and this book was very observant proof of it.

By 1938 he also completed over 200 drawings from Paris called „Paris Scenes and Secrets”. The book was to be published in September 1939 simultaneously in London, Paris and Warsaw. As you can guess certain historical event completely nullified this plan… (After the war Topolski was told a story how Gestapo came to Przeworski publishing house in Warsaw searching for his portfolio.)

In September 1939 Topolski reported to the Polish Consulate in London. He wanted to fight in Poland. It was not possible anymore to get to Poland. Instead he became a War Artist. Feliks ended up doing the job for both British and Polish. So he became a correspondent, member of Polish diplomatic mission and an officer.

Soon as Topolski put it in his autobiography “My Warsaw which I left behind five years earlier had followed me to London.” Many of Topolski’s friends with whom he enjoyed bohemian life in “Ziemiańska”, “Hotel Europejski” and “Bristol” ended up in London.

Topolski was friends with Polish pilots who fought over London skies. In July 1940 he went to Scotland to draw Polish forces rescued from France. General Sikorski seeing Topolski mused: “Topolski how is that yesterday you were a middle-aged civilian and today you are a young lieutenant?”

Feliks’s at that time still girlfriend, Marion Everall decided to organise a Christmas party - Wigilia - for all the Polish friends-refugees. Hundred of them. For the occasion she bought the entire prewar consignment of famous Baczewski vodka from Fortnum & Mason! It was then that Marion bought American cabriolet car which initially seemed like a whim but very soon became a useful tool. Imagine this: Marion behind the wheel while Topolski was sketching London during Blitz.

Life in London at the time was a curious mixture of nonchalance and patriotism. Topolski himself was injured in one of the raids. Then in 1941 when Germany invaded Soviet Union Topolski was sent on a secret mission. He went on a British arctic convoy to Archangielsk.

From there he went to Moscow as a War Artist, a Polish officer and “Picture Post” correspondent. Whenever he could he was of course scribbling notes and sketching. On a number of occasions he was almost arrested as at that time muscovites were particularly suspicious. Only “propusk” from NKID saved him from Łubianka prison. You have to appreciate the timing. It was August 1941 General Anders and Bohusz Szyszko like many other Poles were just being released from prisons and gulags. According to Sikorski-Majski Pakt Poles formerly incarcerated by Soviets were to form army and allowed to fight Germany.

After his mission to USSR Topolski returned to London in 1942. And then he married Marion Everall. Topolski was sent to cover various stages of the war theatre in Europe and elsewhere. Since he was working for “Picture Post” he became household name. Soldiers would ask him to draw them in order to send sketches to their girlfriends.

He was in the Middle East, India, Burma, he followed general Anders and Polish army in Italy, in Monte Cassino.

Topolski witnessed liberation of Bergen Belsen, which profoundly affected him. Topolski was also present at the most important post war event - Nuremberg Trials.

He was a delegate at International Congress of Intelectuals for Peace in Poland in 1948. Among others he met Picasso. At that time he also visited Warsaw which was still in ruins. From that time there is a PATHE documentary about Topolski sketching among the ruins of Old Town. He also found time for a pilgrimage to Kazimierz, small town where he used to paint as a student.

He bemoaned quintessential Polish little shtetle bereft of Jews.

Topolski indeed made a name for himself in Britain. That included friendship with Prince Philip and among others title of official artist at the Queen Elisabeth coronation. The mural based on that event still adorns the Buckingham Palace. The reason why we are here under the arcades is that in 1951 when South Bank Centre was built for the Festival of Britain he was commissioned a mural called “Cavalcade of Commonwealth”.

Many other major exhibitions, amazing trips around the world and friendships followed.

Topolski never changed his rather long name. Jan Lechoń, Polish poet and good friend urged him not to do so and sign his art with full name. These 14 letters were symbols of his Polish Jewish roots. “Forteen letters” is the title of his autobiography. I checked and 14 indeed seems like a charm number for Topolski. Forteen panels in Buckingham Palace, 14 murals…

He had a unique talent of being able to mix in different circles and surround himself with young acolytes. I have met many artists who told me their stories how Topolski received them here in the studio as every Friday was an open day. Kind of literary artistic salon in the style typical for Warsaw intelligentsia.

He was very active among Polish emigrees community here in London. Of which Bednarczyk press which printed Feliks’s “Chronicles of the XX Century” was wonderful example. Krystyna was often sketched by Feliks, Czeslaw Bednarczyk in turn dedicated a poem to Feliks.

But Feliks also tried to forge contacts with his old friends who remained or went back to Poland such as for example Mira Zimińska, director of very famous Polish dance group, Mazowsze, Eryk Lipiński, Blikle or writer Maria Kuncewiczowa who advocated for setting up a Feliks Topolski Museum in Kazimierz. Muzeum Karykatury in Warsaw set up by fellow artist, Eryk Lipiński organised major exhibition of Feliks Topolski’s work. Among Polish friends of Topolski were such names as Jerzy Skolimowski, Roman Polański, Julian Tuwim, Jan Lechoń, Mieczysław Grydzewski, prince Jaś Tarnowski, Tadeusz Pruszkowski, Antoni Słonimski, Adolf Dymsza, Marek Żuławski, Stefan Zamoyski, Tyszkiewicz, Stanisław Baliński, Kazimierz Wierzyński, Władysław Broniewski, the list is incredible.

After the war Topolski visited Poland on number of occasions. He was eager to follow what is new behind iron curtain. He admired best Polish theatre directors such as Dejmek, Szajna or Andrzej Wajda. In 1974 Topolski was given title Doctor Honoris Causa at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The painter who was given this title prior was non other than … Jan Matejko whom Topolski admired, and who had influence on him. Topolski’s panoramic murals were very much inspired by among others monumental panoramic paintings by such Polish painters as Matejko or Kossak.

Feliks Topolski died on 24 of August 1989 – which I find rather poignant because exactly on that day in his beloved Warsaw first new independent Polish postwar prime minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki was sworn in.

Elzbieta Smolenska