At the time of its establishment, the main purpose of the Society was to build a collection of contemporary art. The beginnings of the Zachęta Society are related to activities within the framework of the “Signs of the Times” National Programme for Culture, initiated by the Minister of Culture Waldemar Dąbrowski. Works purchased with the funds raised at that time are part of the permanent contemporary art exhibition at the National Museum in Poznań. The artworks of such artists as Alina Szapocznikow, Andrzej Wróblewski or Zofia Kulik form the essence of Zachęta’s collection.
The aim of the Society is to make art available to the general public, also in public spaces.
As part of the “Poznań City of Art” programme, spectacular examples of art in public spaces have been created on behalf of Zachęta. These include, above all, Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Agora in Grant Park in Chicago, Heinz Mack’s Stele and David Cerny’s Golem exhibited in Marcinkowskiego Avenue in Poznań.
Later years saw the creation of Totems by Alicja Biała or the anti-monument Sorry by Joanna Rajkowska.
Members of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts are guided by the desire to stimulate local communities, to build a civic mindset of supporting culture, which is accompanied by the personal satisfaction of contributing to the collection and supporting artists.
BOARD
Piotr Voelkel – Chairman
Karolina Koziolek-Walichnowska – Secretary
Karol Działoszyński – Treasurer
Marek Rodwald – Board Member
Monika Bakke, PhD
Magdalena Bakker
Sebastian Bedekier
Elżbieta Bednarek
Jolanta Domańska- Gruszka
Karol Działoszyński
Mirosław Gruszka
Marzanna Kondratowicz
Karolina Koziolek-Walichnowska
Grzegorz Łuczak
Marek Rodwald
Prof. Wojciech Suchocki
Anna Voelkel
Ewa Voelkel-Krokowicz
Piotr Voelkel
Michał Włodarczyk
Elżbieta Wrońska
Jadwiga Fizek-Wrzeszcz
Mariusz Wrzeszcz
Jakub Zając
Lidia Zielińska