A representative
of the Polish school of illustration.
Elżbieta Gaudasińska-Borowska
Born in Poland in 1943, Elżbieta Gaudasińska-Borowska is an illustrator—especially of children’s books—as well as a painter, postage stamp designer, and textile artist.
“When the door opens to her home just outside Warsaw, it takes only a few minutes to realize that this will be one of the most important encounters—not just for this book, but for my entire journalistic work. Her attentive gaze, energetic movements, and focused conversation made it clear from the start. I had prepared thoroughly, yet she still managed to surprise me several times. She is known for her sharp wit, sense of humor, and expressive opinions. Add to that an excellent memory, self-awareness, a keen eye for observation, and an understanding of what today’s readers expect from literature. In her attic studio, surrounded by textiles, family mementos, and artworks—both her own and those of her husband, painter Tomasz Borowski—Elżbieta Gaudasińska reminisces about the past…”
– From Illustrators by Barbara Gawryluk
Shortly after the end of World War II, Elżbieta Gaudasińska and her family moved to Warsaw. While in primary school, she joined a textile arts club. During high school, she attended painting classes at the Youth Cultural Center (MDK). After graduating from General Józef Sowiński High School in 1960, she planned to study at the Academy of Fine Arts (ASP). However, due to the school’s administrative error, her application never reached the academy. Instead, she found a job in the puppet workshop of the Gulliver Theater.
On her second attempt, she successfully enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts. After two years of studies, she joined the studio of Aleksander Kobzdej and also took textile design classes under Anna Śledziewska. She earned her degree in 1967.
She began her professional career illustrating for the children’s magazine Świerszczyk, creating small illustrations for short texts. She also contributed to Miś (including the popular Widzimiśek stories by Barbara Lewandowska), Płomyk, and Ciuchcia—all widely read children’s magazines in Poland.
Gaudasińska recalls that this is how careers often began—illustrating for children’s magazines. After illustrating her first book, Pocket Adventures by Bulat Okudzhava, she began receiving more offers for children’s literature. In 1968, she started working with publishing houses, beginning with Nasza Księgarnia. In the 1970s, she helped continue the beloved Read to Me, Mommy series. Her first cover commissions for adult literature came from Czytelnik—including crime novels from the “With a Dachshund” series and novels by Joanna Chmielewska.
In 1973, she illustrated her first book for the Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza. Over time, her works were also published abroad, including in Hungary and Taipei. In 1993, she became the first Polish illustrator of a kamishibai book published in Paris—Le dragon de Cracovie, a picture-card storytelling book based on the legend of the Wawel dragon. Since then, numerous books featuring her illustrations have been published.
When asked whether she had any artistic mentors, Gaudasińska reflects:
“Oh yes. All painters and graphic artists from history and nature are my masters. I admired the illustrations of Olga Siemaszkowa and Mieczysław Piotrowski. But I never imitated anyone. And later, others began copying me. I started with a lot of work for Świerszczyk. Zbigniew Rychlicki treated the magazine as a kind of testing ground and observed what young artists were illustrating. Eventually, I was invited to work for Nasza Księgarnia, and that’s when I started illustrating the Read to Me, Mommy series.”
1973 – Distinction at the Biennial of Art for Children, Poznań
1975 – Distinction in the Polish Book Publishers Association (PTWK) competition Most Beautiful Books of the Year
1977 – Grand Prize in the PTWK Most Beautiful Books of the Year competition
1979 – Award of the Prime Minister of Poland for achievements in book illustration
1984 – Second Prize at the 6th Biennial of Art for Children, Poznań
1984 – Silver Kids Award at the National Festival of Films for Children and Youth, Poznań
1984 – Inclusion on the IBBY Honour List
1985 – Golden Apple at the Bratislava Biennial of Illustration
1989 – PTWK Award for outstanding achievements in children’s illustration
2001 – Distinction at the European Illustration Biennial, Aki (Japan)
2006 – Medal of the Polish Section of IBBY for lifetime achievement in children’s art
2010 – Silver Gloria Artis Medal for Merits to Culture
“Elements of the real world help create an imagined one—a fictional world that lives within the illustration or painting.”
“This is the only way I can have a world of my own, one that I understand and feel good in.”
— Elżbieta Gaudasińska-Borowska
