" I wanted to mean rebirth beyond death "
Stani Nitkowski 1993

The rebirth Stani Nitkowski spoke about is only beginning.

One year after Stani Nitkowski's death, the splendid retrospective of his work at La Halle Saint-Pierre (Paris) is a landmark event covering approximately twenty years of painting.

Stani Nitkowski's life as an artist begins buoyantly with his meeting several persons who will fill him with joy and energy :
-Robert Tatin his spiritual father, his mentor,
-Jean-Marie Drot who will stand by him to the last,
-Cérès Franco who offers to show his work in Paris for the first time in her gallery,
so many others will follow...

The course of this life should be developed, the story unfold.
For the moment let's linger over this exhibit which fully displays this artist's complexity and value.

In a lapse of time a very short one, after all Stani Nitkowski feels his way, changes; he wants to learn and understand. His themes take a new dimension of great depth, his style evolves and gains intensity to the point of explosion until, in the work of his maturity, it culminates in total restraint.

Yet how many of us know him, love him and value all his talents in drawing, poetry, and letterwriting ? So much remains to be discovered, shown, and published : his published diary, " The garret with a magical skylight ", is a glimpse into his talent as a poet; more works and an exceptional collection of drawings will be shown in 2003 in Ronceray Abbey (Angers, France). His adopted town will pay him tribute.

My new dream is to set up a permanent space dedicated to this immense artist where we would keep on living with him.

Dominique Polad-Hardouin
18 October 2002