Jerzy Głuszek

(born 1956 in Wrocław)

Jerzy Głuszek is a Polish painter, draughtsman, and illustrator, born in 1956 in Wrocław, where he continues to live and work. He graduated from the Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław (formerly the State Higher School of Fine Arts), Faculty of Painting, Sculpture, and Graphics, receiving his diploma in 1981.

He works across painting, drawing, and artistic illustration. In addition, he occasionally collaborates with fellow artists on interdisciplinary projects under the title Synchronie—a series of paratheatrical, stage-and-music-based performances built on individually developed artistic forms and synchronized actions. He has also served as a jury member in international satire competitions.

His works have been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Poland and abroad.

Selected solo exhibitions

His works have been exhibited individually in, among others:
Göteborg, Stockholm, Kraków, Warsaw, Wrocław, Oslo, and Trento.

Selected group exhibitions

• 1988, 1992 – 4th and 5th International Drawing Triennale, Wrocław
• 1995, 1997 – National Painting Exhibition Bielska Jesień, Bielsko-Biała
• 2001, 2003 – Poster Festival, Kraków
• 2007 – Exposants 1001 Visages 2007, Montreal
• 2008 – Cartoons from 27 European Union Countries, Athens
• 2008 – 3rd Baltic Illustration Meetings (Trolls, Goblins, Gnomes), Gdańsk
• 2009, 2011 – Polish Masters of Children’s Illustration, Dortmund and Warsaw
• 2010 – Illustration exhibition 2010 Formes de Ser Ester, Portugal
• 2012 – The End of the World, European Cartoon Center, Kruishoutem (Belgium)
• 2013 – Polish Book Art for Children, Seoul International Book Fair
• 2016 – Synchronie, City Gallery, Wrocław
• 2017 – Synchronie II, BWA Contemporary Art Gallery, Bielsko-Biała

Awards and distinctions

Głuszek has received numerous awards, including:

• 1989–1996 – Four-time laureate, National Pastel Exhibition, Nowy Sącz
• 1996 – Honorable Mention, 2nd National Triennale of Polish Drawing, Lubaczów
• 2000 – First Prize, Przedwiośnie Exhibition, Kielce
• 2003 – Award, 3rd National Painting Competition Still Life Triennial, Sieradz
• 2012 – “Wena” Award of the Marshal of Lower Silesia for outstanding achievements in culture, Legnica
• 2013 – Finalist, mural competition Gateway to Nadodrze, Wrocław
• 2013 – “Piękniejsza Polska” Diploma (Distinction from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage)

Selected international awards (satirical drawing and illustration):

• 2006 – Grand Prix, 5th Googlm International Cartoon Competition, China
• 2007 – Master Prize, Master Cup International Cartoon & Illustration Biennial, China
• 2008 – Grand Prix, European Satire Festival “Koziołki,” Poznań
• 2009 – Special Prize, 29th International Nasreddin Hodja Cartoon Contest, Turkey
• 2009 – Grand Prix, International Competition Great Łódź of Humour
• 2010, 2013 – Grand Prix, International Satirical Competition “Debiut,” Zielona Góra
• 2010 – First Prize, International Exhibition Satyrykon, Legnica
• 2010 – Grand Prix, 12th PortoCartoon World Festival, Portugal
• 2012 – First Prize, 21st International Exhibition of Satire, Trento
• 2013 – Second Prize, Satyrykon, Legnica
• 2014 – Third Prize, PortoCartoon World Festival
• 2021 – Second Prize, ECC International Satire Competition, Kruishoutem
• 2021 – Grand Prix, 18th International Satirical Drawing Competition, Niemodlin
• 2023 – First Prize, 13th International Turhan Selçuk Competition, Turkey

Artistic language

Głuszek’s work is marked by a distinctive sense of poetic atmosphere and nostalgia, balancing calm with subtle tension. His imagery leads the viewer into a quasi-magical realm where realism intertwines with metaphor.

Surreal elements in his illustrations are not an end in themselves; rather, they emerge from intuition—an intuitive process that shapes and enriches perception. The content of his images is matched by a corresponding formal language, resulting from a fusion of absurdity and a sense of the magical.

At times, subtle satirical undertones appear—often arising organically from the inherent absurdity and the artist’s characteristic distance and ambiguity. A degree of understatement and deliberately incomplete articulation lends his works an additional layer of mystery.

Publications

• Dobrej nocy i sza (2008) – illustrations for a children’s book by Dorota Chartwich
• Andromedario (2008) – dedicated to Jerzy Głuszek, Studio d’Arte Andromeda, Trento
• 2010 Formas de Ser Estar / 2010 Frequently Asked Questions – Eterogemaes, Portugal
• Fire 2, Humor Magazine – Task Vakifi, Istanbul, 2012
• Pointa (2013) – Media Corporation, Warsaw
• Gluszek (2015) – exhibition catalogue, European Cartoon Center, Kruishoutem
• Synchronie (2016) – exhibition catalogue, City Gallery, Wrocław