Henryk Tomaszewski

Further to the posters he made was his outsized contribution to design education. When Tomaszewski became a lecturer at Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw he influenced the development of successive waves of designers across three decades. Importantly, his teaching went beyond depictive technique, to foster the intellect befitting a competent creative practitioner.

Henryk Tomaszewski studied at Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw. Krystyna Witkowska is recorded as having studied under Henryk Tomaszewski. The recorded working language is Polish. Employment is recorded with Academy of Fine Arts, Warsaw. Work by Henryk Tomaszewski is recorded in the collections of Nationalmuseum, Museum of Modern Art, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Vanderbilt Museum of Art. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland, Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland and Commander of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

• Name — Henryk Tomaszewski • Born — June 10, 1914 • Birthplace — Warsaw, Warsaw Governorate, Congress Poland • Died — September 11, 2005 (aged 91) • Place of death — Warsaw, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland • Known for — Poster design • Occupation — Graphic designer

Henryk Tomaszewski was born in Warsaw, Poland on June 10, 1914, to a family of musicians. In 1934, he enrolled in the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts and graduated in 1939. During World War II and the Nazi occupation of Poland, Tomaszewski earned a living through his painting, drawings, and woodcuts which were later destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising. In 1947, he began creating posters for state-run film distribution agency Central Wynajmu Filmów with fellow designers Tadeusz Trepkowski and Tadeusz Gronowski. Postwar shortages of supplies made Tomaszewski rework film posters and introduced bold colors, abstract shapes, and filmmaking techniques to convey the film's mood rather than rely on portraits of the film's stars. He also created posters for the circus and art exhibitions, among others. His poster designs were animated and witty, leading him to become the "father" of the Polish Poster School in the postwar era influencing international poster designers. His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics. • Illustration — Poster announcing a Henry Moore exhibition, 1959, by Henryk Tomaszewski He became a professor from 1952 until 1985 at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. In 1975 Henryk Tomaszewski was granted the title of Honorary Royal Designer for Industry by Royal Society of Arts in London and since 1957 was a member of Alliance Graphique International (AGI). Tomaszewski was the father of acclaimed contemporary Polish graphic artist Filip Pagowski. He died on September 11, 2005, in Warsaw, Poland of progressive nerve degeneration.

Henryk Tomaszewski is recorded as having received Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland and Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland.