Happening

Tadeusz Kantor’s activity in the field of happenings was shaped by European happenings. When travelling abroad, the artist would observe the practices resulting from the development of this movement. The experience he gained there, however, was just the inspiration for his individual work.
 
Tadeusz Kantor’s inclination towards happenings had been visible in his paintings as well as in drama for at least several years before he consciously used the technique. Considering the whole work of Tadeusz Kantor, the fact that at a certain stage he focused primarily on happening appears to be an unavoidable consequence of his individual artistic development.
 
Tadeusz Kantor’s happenings are all presented in this section – starting from the first happening prepared by him in 1965 and ending with the last one in 1971.
When considering any of them, one ought to remember that in this particular field, as well as in many others, Kantor remains the pioneer in Polish art.        
 
Małgorzata Paluch-Cybulska

 
Section prepared and material selected by: Malgorzata Paluch-Cybulska

Section translated by: Monika Markiewicz