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Which art books, prints and posters are available by and about this artist? Here is a sample of items of interest to a typical collector:
Wilhelm Sasnal, Polish, b. 1972
Sasnal born in December 1972 in Tarnów, is one of Poland's most acclaimed contemporary artists. Renowned for his prolific paintings and short films, his work spans figuration and abstraction, seamlessly drawing from mass media, art history, and personal snapshots to reflect on memory, society, and the complexities of modern identity.
He initially studied architecture for two years at the Tadeusz Kościuszko University of Technology in Kraków before shifting his focus to fine arts. He ultimately earned his diploma in painting from the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts in 1999. While studying at the academy, Sasnal co-founded the Ładnie Group, a famous Polish artist collective active until 2000 alongside Rafał Bujnowski, Marcin Maciejowski, and Józef Tomczyk. The group humorously rebelled against traditional academic styles by intentionally applying a "deskilled" aesthetic to everyday, banal surroundings.
Sasnal is a multi-disciplinary artist who works in photography, comic books, graphic novels, and filmmaking, though he remains primarily a painter. His visual inspiration ranges broadly from family portraits and casual smartphone photos to music videos, album covers, and significant moments in Polish and world history. Rather than sticking to one consistent aesthetic, he shifts fluidly between highly recognizable realism and stark abstraction to filter collective cultural memory through individual experience. In addition to his canvas works, Sasnal frequently directs experimental and poetic films, regularly collaborating with his wife, Anka Sasnal. He is known for his prolific output, often completing paintings in a single day by balancing rigorous daily routines with fresh, photographic observations.
His career garnered rapid international attention after taking first place in Flash Art's 2006 ranking of the world's 100 best young artists. That same year, he won the prestigious Vincent van Gogh Biennial Award for Contemporary Art in Europe. His work has since been featured in major solo and group exhibitions at institutions like the Tate, the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Fondation Beyeler. He is represented by prominent galleries globally, including Sadie Coles HQ in London.
Splitting his time between Kraków, Poland, and Los Angeles, California, Sasnal continues to document human history while acting as an active critic of his contemporary society. His work remains a vital visual archive of the socio-political transformations that define both post-Communist Poland and global contemporary life.
This book is the limited edition book of Phaidon's 2011 monograph, which came with a signed print. This run of 100 has a different binding and covers from the trade edition.