Ignacy Korwin-Milewski assembled one of the most remarkable private collections of 19th-century Polish painting, featuring works by artists such as Matejko, Chełmoński, Gierymski, and Malczewski. These masterpieces, together with our album, form the core of the exhibition at the National Museum in Warsaw.

The exhibition opening on April 17 was attended by the Director of the Sybir Memorial Museum, Professor Wojciech Śleszyński, who highlighted the importance of inter-institutional cooperation and the significance of our participation in this nationwide event.

Our album, an important part of this prestigious exhibition, comprises 120 photographs documenting a sea expedition in 1897, organized by Ignacy Karol Korwin-Milewski aboard an impressive steam yacht.

Of particular importance to the Sybir Memorial Museum are the extremely rare photographs of the Solovetsky Islands included in the album—later the site of the first Soviet labor camp. The album offers a unique record of a world that was soon to be brutally destroyed.

The exhibition at the National Museum in Warsaw runs until September 13, 2026. We warmly encourage you to visit and discover our exhibit, as well as the fascinating story of Ignacy Korwin-Milewski.

Photo: Bartosz Bajerski / National Museum in Warsaw