Born October 30, 1935, Warsaw
Illustrator, graphic artist, painter – a representative of the Polish School of Illustration. She primarily created works for children and young adults.
Julitta Karwowska-Wnuczak graduated in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw in 1960, earning her diploma under Prof. Eugeniusz Eibisch.
From 1961, she worked with Ruch Publishing Office, where she designed postcards and illustrated books. Her illustration debut came in 1962 with Strange Adventures of Ignas by Ewa Szelburg-Zarembina.
That same year, she began a long-standing collaboration with Nasza Księgarnia Publishing Institute, for which she illustrated many beloved children’s books, including:
Indian Tales by Shanta Rameshwar Rao
The Golden Bridge by Ion Creangă
The Hawthorn Princess by Władysław Ludwik Anczyc
The Sky Was Blue by Charlotte Zolotow
The Locomotive, The Turnip, The Bird Radio by Jan Brzechwa
She also illustrated books published by the National Publishing Agency, including:
The Walnut Cake Conquerors by Piotr Wojciechowski
The Spinners of Gold by Wanda Markowska and Anna Milska
In 1970, she began collaborating with the “Se-Ma-For” Studio of Small Film Forms, starting with the art design for It’s Only a Mouse (dir. Wacław Fedak). Soon after, together with Ludwik Kronic, she co-created the visual concepts for the beloved animated series The Adventures of Filemon the Cat (1972–1981), written by Marek Nejman in close collaboration with Sławomir Grabowski.
While Ludwik Kronic created the on-screen depictions of Filemon and Bonifacy, Julitta Karwowska-Wnuczak illustrated all the books based on the series. Her illustrated versions of Filemon, Bonifacy, the Puppy, and other characters had a distinct look from their animated counterparts—unique and tailored to the book format.
Her first Filemon book, Filemon’s Night, was published in 1976, followed by:
The Adventures of Filemon the Cat (1977)
Filemon and Bonifacy (1980)
Filemon, Bonifacy and the Puppy (1985)
Wolfish Appetite (1987)
Julitta Karwowska-Wnuczak’s illustrations are distinguished by vibrant color saturation and a joyful atmosphere. She became particularly known for her expressive animal characters—like:
Tigers (Little Tigers by Joanna Papuzińska)
Elephants (Little Elephant Kuba by Mira Lobe, The Musical Elephant by Wanda Chotomska)
She also often portrayed children with long, tousled bangs covering their eyes, as seen in:
A Week with Zero Hour by Alicja Niedźwiedzka
Magnus and the Squirrels by Hans Peterson
Her works were exhibited in Italy, Czechoslovakia, East and West Germany, the USSR, Japan, and Denmark, and featured at major events such as the Biennials in Bratislava and Bologna.
In 1969, she held a solo exhibition at Broste Gallery in Copenhagen, titled Exhibition of Book and Artistic Graphics.
