About Tom Podl

Tom Podl is a collector of Polish art. His main interest lies in paintings and drawings. He has been building his collection over the span of 20 years and it has become his great passion. In fact it is the most extensive collection of Polish paintings by an American!

The exhibition was presented in Kraków, Warsaw, Sopot, Poznan, Wroclaw, Legnica, Szczecin, Lódz in Poland.

An Identity Search – A Colors Passion

My life began in a first generation immigrant Polish family complete with its ethnic traditions. A middle-age search for my cultural identity led to a collection of Polish "Colors," and, ultimately, an appreciation of the magnificence of my heritage. The following is a brief examination of that evolution.

In the summer of 1974, my family – wife Audrey, children Carrie and Tod, and myself – relocated from the Midwest to Seattle, Washington. This was planned as a transitional step in the pursuit of a career in sales management. Ultimately, however, it was in the Seattle area that a personal ethnic heritage search unfolded while developing an entrepreneurial motivation along with a burgeoning interest in art. Why should these events in this location lead to an appreciation and accumulation of "Colors" in search of my cultural "Identity"?

Frank Podlasiński with his family, about 1920, Mieczysław first from the right

His chronicle begins in the late eighteenth century with Ignacy Podlasiński, owner of a prosperous mill and farmland, who resided 110 miles northwest of Warsaw. Due to the oppressive policies of the Prussian authorities, however, his wealth and property were eventually decimated. One century later, my Grandfather Frank (Franciszek) Podlasiński was born and in 1903, married Stella (Stanisława) Śniegocka. Together, their possessions were insufficient to eke out a decent living, so they hired on as farm laborers in nearby Germany. Several years later, Grandpa was conscripted into service in the tsarist army. Stationed in Vladivostok at the end of the Russian-Japanese War, he decided to remain there as he found employment sufficient to support the family. Grandmother soon joined him and my father Matt (Mieczysław) Podlasiński was born in 1909. One year later, however, having learned about opportunities in the United States, Grandpa set off on the S.S. Minnesota across the Pacific Ocean; becoming on August 10, 1910, the first person in my Podlasiński family to step onto the soil of America. Meanwhile Grandma, with two little children and expecting a third, began a month-long, arduous return to Poland on the Trans-Siberian Railroad.

After two years of logging in the forests near Seattle, Grandpa Frank returned to Poland, following the same trail Grandma had taken earlier. Grandpa related the opportunities he saw in America, and they decided to leave their homeland and move the family there. Selling their few assets in the spring of 1913, and with all remaining possessions packed in suitcases, the five Podlasińskis set out for America. Embarking aboard the Pretoria from Hamburg on March 7, 1913 for an 18-day journey in steerage, they arrived at Ellis Island in New York. After several days of humiliating immigration procedures, they completed their odyssey by rail to South Chicago. There they "melted into" the Polish community oriented around job opportunities at the steel mills.

The history of Mom's family – Papierskis – is not as well documented. Records indicate, however, that Grandpa Roman was counted in the 1910 U.S. census residing in an Evanston, Illinois house with a family of six, along with seven other unrelated boarders. Family lore tells us that Grandpa Roman, prior to his departure in 1909 for the U.S., informed his then girlfriend Victoria Łuczak, of his intent to earn sufficient funds over the next few years and then return to marry her. She promptly informed him that she may be taken when he returns and that if he wished to marry her, he should do so immediately. This being sound advice, he agreed, and a loving marital relationship began that lasted for almost 50 years until her premature passing in 1954. Their ingenuity and hard work coupled with a frugal lifestyle resulted in their acquisition of properties for a family residence as well as an investment.
Chicago became surrounded in the early twentieth-century with Papierskis to the north and Podlasińskis to the south. After several years of courtship during the Great Depression, Dad married Mom, Jane (Janina) Papierski in 1936. They moved into one of the five Podlasiński-owned apartments at 8501 Marquette Avenue. This first generation immigrant nuclear family proudly continued the traditions of their Polish forbearers while striving to assimilate into the fabric of American life. Cultural traditions were emphasized to and enjoyed by my younger generation within the sphere of family gatherings: picnic reunions, Christmas and Easter celebrations, weddings, christenings, First Communions, Confirmations, birthdays, wedding anniversaries and, most uniquely, in the mid-twentieth century tradition of Sunday family gatherings usually at our grandparent’s home. My generation was encouraged by example to cherish and follow the credo: an appreciation of this new homeland, combined with hard work, and a profound commitment to education and one's faith would provide the basis for a successful and fulfilling life.

Dad instilled in his offspring a sharing of his passion for experiencing the beauty of the United States; the most memorable for me being the 1948 month-long trip of our family and Grandma Stella to California on that famous link to the West, Highway 66. He, along with others of the greatest-ever migration of humans, became a part of the American "melting pot" and further assimilated into the community partly out of choice, partly out of society’s rules for assimilation. Mom's concerns were more focused on the every day necessity of maintaining a household and raising a family. Both of them maintained an active role in the community as well as our local parish.

Prejudice existed in the white-collar environment of Chicago. While looking for a position in a downtown Chicago company prior to the Great Depression, Dad was turned away due to a prejudice against Polish surnames. As a result of that episode, coupled with a strong desire to assimilate, after I was born, he officially shortened Podlasiński to Podl.

Mieczysław and Janina with their children.
Tom on the right (about 1955)

Mom and Dad had two more offspring – brother Bill, born in 1944 and sister Monica, born in 1950 – in whom they also took great pride. They insisted that we maintain appropriate comportment and demanded high scholastic achievement. Age differences created few opportunities to share growing-up experiences with them. Their career accomplishments, however, are great examples of a commitment to the family credo.

I was born on May 6, 1938 at Illinois Central Hospital and five years later entered St. Mary Magdalene, our Catholic parish primary school. Altar boy and choirboy activities were combined with my adolescent initiations - girls, acne, "cool" clothes, etc. With Mom's guidance, I proudly learned the Polish peasant traditions of making kielbasa and polka-dancing. Early in life, a passion for sports developed – primarily "sand-lot" softball. Teen-age societal stimuli were introduced to our "gang" as we evolved activities in team sports, poker games and rock'n’roll in the house of our Irish buddy, Bill Concannon. There, in 1955, we became familiar with the new exciting sounds of Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. Thanks to ever-patient female dancing partners, years of practicing the polka and, ultimately wearing my first pair of "blue suede shoes," I learned to dance to this new musical beat.

I have fond recollections from my youth of the thirst for knowledge stimulated by Dad’s frequent visits to the local library and outstanding museums in the Chicago area, especially the Museum of Science and Industry. These mind-expanding experiences complemented our home environment and nurtured the understanding that great opportunities existed in the fascinating world of science and technology.

Graduating with honors from Mount Carmel High School in 1956, I went off to college enrolled in a Pre-Med curriculum. As a result of a disastrous encounter with Organic Chemistry, an engineering curriculum seemed a practical alternative. In the early stages of engineering studies, in 1960, Audrey and I married and moved into the flat at 8501 previously occupied by the Podlasiński Grandparents. Both of us worked while attending to engineering studies and we were blessed with Carrie in 1961 and Tod in 1963. His birth came as I completed Illinois Institute of Technology in large part as a result of the invaluable assistance of Leonard Weiner and his wife, Marilyn. These two, most intelligent, hardworking and charitable people provided friendship, inspiration, assistance and guidance to facilitate my excursion through the complexities of advanced engineering studies.

The Podl family in 1990. Tom first from the left.

After graduating with a B.S.E.E. and accepting a position in the rapidly expanding digital computer business, our family – Audrey, Carrie and Tod, relocated to the suburbs of Minneapolis. That move separated us from frequent contact with our Chicago roots – primarily family and friends – and we found ourselves in an unfamiliar suburban society; one in which the pursuit of business career, immediate family and community goals replaced the familial and cultural patrimony of my youth. In search of meaningful connections with others, we participated in sports and community organizations. These activities, as well as those with business associates, served to partially fill the void of extended family activities. Participation in a local community service organization, the Bloomington Jaycees provided the vehicle for developing the confidence in projecting myself to others, both in individual and group engagements.

Collectorship activities began as a pre-teen when friend Jimmy Mikulski conveyed to me his enjoyment of a philatelic passion. We combined our efforts and meager finances to develop a collection of stamps from exotic parts of the world. Later, in the mid-'60s, through the influence of elderly neighbors with a deep appreciation for the past, Audrey and I developed a burgeoning interest in antique Americana – specifically furniture, kitchen equipment and tools. This activity, combined with a general interest in history and the humanities, established a foundation in the search for my cultural identity. Also, my initial entrepreneurial stimulation came as a result of registering this activity as a business.

An interest in art, originally inspired by college-level humanities studies, was further stimulated during our eight years in the Minneapolis area. With Carrie and Tod, we often visited the area museums. Mona Evans (Audrey's sister) inspired a development of my "eye" for art based on assessing features that were personally appealing. Initially, I was drawn to the lively and warm images created by the Impressionists. This interest matured as we viewed works in the museums of Paris, London, and North America. Later, as I was motivated to investigate the ethnic and cultural dimensions of my "Identity," Polish art became that vehicle.

Beginning in the late 1960s, I found great satisfaction in sourcing advanced technology electronic components, and ultimately, medical implant products. Success from eight years of those sales activities led to my founding in 1976 a company we named Intralife – an organization dedicated to promoting and servicing advanced human prosthetic products with knowledgeable and enthusiastic customer service. This rapidly growing business became all-consuming as it flourished and I therefore searched for an activity which would preclude becoming overwhelmed with a business obsession. In this milieu, I reactivated my boyhood philatelic hobby, this time focusing on Polish stamps. This further stimulated the search for a cultural identity as many outstanding Polish artworks were depicted on the stamps. Parallel stimulation came from two other sources: the inspiring book Roots, a history of an African-American family, as well as my revulsion to the derogatory "Polack" jokes fashionable in the 1970s. I found the latter personally offensive, since I knew a great number of intelligent, hard-working and honorable Poles. The combination of my family history, a growing interest in Polish heritage and the economic success of Intralife provided the basis to institute a new medium for an "Identity" search – art. I found that original works of Polish painters were within my financial reach. Further, a more profound appreciation of my Polish heritage developed during our first trip to Poland in 1983 when we met distant relatives, Poles dedicated to their country and culture, and visited important institutions.

Polish cultural organizations such as the Kosciuszko Foundation provided a gateway to Andrzej Ciechanowiecki, Władysława Jaworska and Zbigniew M. Legutko[2] and through them, many other important influences in my cultural pursuit. Each had a unique impact in my future collecting activities. Ciechanowiecki, Director of the Heim Gallery in London was the early source for the acquisition of rarities such as the works of Józef Chełmoński, Olga Boznańska, Józef Pankiewicz, and Jan Stanisławski. Ciechanowiecki's heroic efforts at recovering Polish art treasures stolen during World War II along with his other charitable contributions became an inspiration to me. From his example, I became aware that a charitable component could magnify the impact of a collecting passion in discovering my Polish "Identity." This attitude is eloquently stated in the recorded thoughts of Pope John Paul II (as documented by George Weigel in his book Witness to Hope, p. 377):

Legutko provided a source for artworks and books at reasonable prices, whether by purchase from his gallery or at one of his frequent auctions which also was an opportunity to meet other collectors. An introduction to Ewa and Wojciech Fibak[3] profoundly influenced the development of my understanding of the meaning and message of Polish paintings. Visits to the Fibaks' Connecticut home became seminars on Polish art. I learned about the great achievements of the artists from the School of Paris as seen in the works of such painters as Tadeusz Makowski, Zygmunt Menkes, Władysław Ślewiński and Mela Muter. Two of my earliest acquisitions, Boats by Eibisch and A Portrait of Lena by Gottlieb, came from the Fibaks and were the first steps in my collection of the School of Paris circle. I also met the Jordanowski's[4] whose collection was admirable, however, even more remarkable, was Stan's accomplishment of memorializing Polish art in America through his book, Vademecum Malarstwa Polskiego.

Marek Mielniczuk[5] entered this collecting milieu in 1986. The following year, my wife Cathy whom I met in 1984 and married in 1993, joined me on our first visit to his Paris gallery. On this occasion, we were first exposed to his important developments with the School of Paris artists and we purchased the Mela Muter painting Barge on the Rhône. Over the years, I purchased many quality works from Gallerie Marek and he deserves great praise for his part in my collection as well as his popularizing and promoting Paris-based Polish artists.

In the mid-1980s, I was fortunate to meet two of my now dearest friends, Władysław (Wlad) and Yvonne Wantuła.[6] They have also been a source for acquisitions, however I value most their perspective and advice on collecting, Polish historical events and people. These World War II heroes have dedicated a great deal of their time, energy and encouragement in guiding and stimulating my growing passion. Wlad, always insistent on accurate historical documentation, constantly encouraged me to acquire all available provenances for my purchases. Through their enduring spirit, Wlad and Yvonne have become the "Godparents" of this collection.

Visits to family in Chicago in the 1980s also led to my association with the Polish Museum of America. There I met Krzysztof Kamyszew[7], a profound intellect with boundless energy, who was committed to carrying out and expanding the mission of the Museum. Kamyszew's dedication to the promotion of Polish culture inspired me to extend my cultural interests beyond the statement of a plastic arts collection. Then in 1990, he proposed that an exhibition of my collection would be appreciated by patrons of the Polish Museum. Others encouraged and supported this effort, resulting in also obtaining a Seattle venue for the 1993 exhibitions.[8] Kamyszew continues this commitment today through his art gallery promoting Polish contemporary art and his directorship of The Society for Arts which presents North American audiences the best of Polish cinema.

More so than my "Colors" immersion, life has been fulfilled by the presence of family. Audrey, followed by Cathy developed an interest in my passion and became that important critical "eye": in supporting acquisitions (Malczewski, Makowski, Muter, Menkes, Bilińska, etc.) and critiquing (mostly Lebenstein and Musiałowicz). The development of Carrie and Tod into adults who contribute professionally to their families and constituencies has given me a great sense of satisfaction and pride. Carrie's sparkling personality and enthusiasm has uplifted the many people she has touched in her various pursuits. The accomplishments of Tod and his wife Jody are also a constant source of pride. Their children, Matthew, Joshua and Rachel reside physically a distance away, but their youthful spirit is omnipresent. Cathy's children, Mark, Lisa and Brandy have been an important part of my life for the past 15 years. Lisa and Mike Hoak have also blessed us with Kyle and Colin who will also provide this "Papa" inspiration for our future generations. In spite of my preoccupation in the past twenty years with my business and hobbies, these loved ones have remained supportive of the "Colors" passion.

I now carry the respectable title of "Dziadzius" (Grandfather) and with it the responsibility of creating a new cycle for my grandchildren, as my grandparents did for our generation. Starting my cycle where my grandparents left off – to Matthew, Joshua, Kyle, Rachel, Colin and others to come, I hope that my efforts utilizing the "Colors" of Polish paintings to develop my "Identity" will inspire you to honor the experiences and learn the lessons from your ancestors who struggled to create an even higher path for you.

Friends in the Seattle Polish community provided an important early stimulation in my search for "Identity": Ron and Martha Golubiec, Adam and Maria Pietrzyk, Michał Friedrich, Mike and Barbara Waske, Christine Larene and Holt Ruffin among others. Though unrelated to my art collecting activities, through their friendship and support, individuals such as J.P. "Jay" and Sue Quinn, Don Meiser, Jim Dunham, Frank Kleckner, Bill and Barbara Meyer, Bob Bury and Arnie Prentice, have contributed to the fullness of my life. Recently, associates such as Artur Tanikowski, Anna Król, Ryszard Kott and Zbigniew Turlej have created the "Colors of Identity" exhibition project.

This collection has been assembled in America from sources outside of Poland. Those sources still exist, but the volume of quality works has diminished. It is my hope that Poland can develop a policy to enable other enthusiasts outside the country access to sources for acquiring art works to fulfill their passion while retaining national treasures. I enthusiastically offer encouragement to all those who have the ambition and desire for a passion similar to mine. I wish them success, for their efforts will certainly contribute to a much needed greater understanding and appreciation of Polish culture in other places. In retrospect, I encourage all dealers and collectors to give greater attention to historical documentation of our Polish artistic treasures.

The exhibitions in Poland have become part of a cycle. On one hand, they are a culmination in the sense that a museum staff, its critics and its patrons have recognized the works in an exhibition. On the other hand, they are also a beginning as success in Poland can lead to future displays. Accomplishing this would further my goal of utilizing "Colors of Identity" to showcase and promote a better understanding of the achievements of Polish artists. Further, this project should be appreciated in the context of the collaborations of Polish Jews and Polish non-Jews in the artistic reflections of their shared land.

These "Colors" will outlive my stewardship; they will continue to promote for others in the future, a new cultural patrimony.