The collection of post-1945 art at the Lublin Museum has been developed since the late 1950s. Although it does not form a systematically expanded collection, it reflects key artistic tendencies that define both the local and national dimensions of contemporary art in Poland.

The collection primarily consists of paintings and graphic works, currently housed in two sections of the Department of Art and Visual Culture. It highlights the main traditions of contemporary art, including:

• Colorist painting, represented by an extensive selection of works by Zenon Kononowicz, Władysław Filipiak, and Edward Nadulski.
• Modernist art, represented by the legacy of the “Zamek” group.
• Diverse nationwide artistic movements, broadly categorized under the concept of “metaphor.”

These three areas help illustrate the chronology and dynamics of contemporary artistic practices, including:

• The evolution of individual artists’ work, such as the modernization of colorism in the art of Filipiak and Kononowicz through abstraction.
• Transformations in the concept of painting, as seen in the works of Włodzimierz Borowski, Tytus Dzieduszycki-Sas, and Jan Ziemski.
• The coexistence of experimental approaches alongside traditional figurative art.

Since the 1970s, the collection has expanded to include works by major figures in Polish modern art, such as:

• Tadeusz Brzozowski, Marian Bogusz, Stefan Gierowski, Maria Jarema, Tadeusz Kantor, Jan Lebenstein, Jacek Sempoliński, Kajetan Sosnowski, Henryk Stażewski, Andrzej Wróblewski, and Jerzy Tchórzewski.

These artists embody the pluralism of abstraction and figuration, which emerged from Poland’s post-Stalinist artistic thaw.

The “Metaphor” project, initiated through plein-air workshops and exhibitions organized by the Museum, further expanded the collection. This allowed for the partial reflection of contemporary artistic themes, including:

• New Figuration, seen in the works of Maciej Bieniasz and Zbylut Grzywacz.
• Assemblages, particularly those by Władysław Hasior.
• Conceptual practices, such as “Collections” by Marian Warzecha and photomontages by Natalia LL and Andrzej Lachowicz.

This commitment to updating the collection is reinforced by the ongoing exhibition program featuring artists associated with the Faculty of Arts at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. These artists hold a significant place in the Polish art scene, and their works continue to enrich the Museum’s collection. Notable figures include:

• Jan Gryka, Ryszard Lis, Tomasz Zawadzki, and Jakub Ciężki.