(July 24, 1929, Szamotuły – October 20, 1976, Warsaw)
Polish graphic artist, illustrator, and draftsman.
Janusz Grabiański began his art studies in 1949 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he decided early on to focus his career on book illustration and poster design. After his first year, he transferred to the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, where he studied from 1952 to 1955 under Jan Marcin Szancer, head of the illustration studio, and Prof. Józef Mroszczak, initiator of the International Poster Biennale in Warsaw.
After graduating, Grabiański became a children’s book illustrator at the state publishing house Iskry, where he also created covers for the well-known travel series Naokoło Świata (“Around the World”). During this time, he also collaborated with Nasza Księgarnia, another major Polish publisher, and took part in numerous illustration competitions. In 1957, he won first prize in a poster competition organized by LOT Polish Airlines, which led to further design commissions for the airline’s promotional materials.
He also received assignments from children’s magazines such as Miś, Świerszczyk, and Płomyczek. However, it was his book illustrations that launched his international career. His work for Rudzia by Jadwiga Wernerowa caught the attention of Austrian publisher Carl Überreuter Verlag, beginning a fruitful collaboration in 1957. Soon, publishers from Germany, the UK, France, Finland, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States followed.
By the 1960s and early 1970s, Grabiański had become the most internationally recognized Polish illustrator of his time. His illustrated books were published in over 20 countries worldwide. In less than 25 years of artistic activity, he illustrated over 100 books—some sources even list as many as 200 titles when international editions are included.
Among his best-known works are illustrations for:
About the Dwarfs and Little Orphan Mary by Maria Konopnicka (for which he was included in the Hans Christian Andersen Honor List in 1976),
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf,
Fairy Tales by Charles Perrault, and
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.
He also illustrated the final edition of Marian Falski’s iconic Polish schoolbook, Elementarz.
Beyond posters and book illustrations, Grabiański also designed calendars, postcards, and postage stamps—most notably the acclaimed “Dog Breeds” (1963) and “Cats” (1964) series.
He held numerous solo exhibitions in Poland, Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and received many prestigious awards throughout his career. He passed away in Warsaw on October 20, 1976.
Grabiański gained renown as a masterful illustrator of animals, uniquely attuned to their personalities and traits. His preferred medium was watercolor, which he elevated to a level of perfection. In both technique and vision, he rivaled the great masters of East Asian painting, not only in his skill but also in his sensitive approach to composition and his deep observation of the natural world.
