From Adler to Zulawski: A Century of Polish Artists in Britain

This exhibition is the first in Ben Uri’s series on refugee and migrant artists, highlighting the Polish contribution in Britain over the last century. This focus is particularly apt as the community approaches its millionth citizen, the largest migrant group in Britain, and as Poland celebrates a century since it regained its independence as a nation-state after 123 years. The exhibition will tell aspects of the story of the Polish community in Britain, and Poland’s recent turbulent history, through the lens of art.

Artists featured in this Curation: Alfred Aaron Wolmark (1877–1961), Henry Glicenstein (1870–1942), Moshe Oved (1885–1958), Henryk Gotlib (1890–1966), Ralph Sallon (1899–1999), Ernest Borough Johnson (1866–1949), Mark Wayner (1888–1980), Leopold Pilichowski (1866–1934), Isaac Lichtenstein (1887–1981), Jankel Adler (1895–1949), and 10 more See all

24 artworks

Storyline Album Showcase

The Last Days of Rabbi Ben Ezra 1905
Alfred Aaron Wolmark (1877–1961)
Oil on canvas
H 185.5 x W 318 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© Estate of Alfred Aaron Wolmark. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Sabbath Afternoon c.1909–1910
Alfred Aaron Wolmark (1877–1961)
Oil on canvas
H 77.5 x W 77.5 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© Estate of Alfred Aaron Wolmark. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Israel Zangwill (1864–1926) 1923
Henry Glicenstein (1870–1942)
Bronze
Ben Uri Collection

Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Chanukiah with Doves
Moshe Oved (1885–1958)
Bronze
H 27 x W 38 x D 16 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Self Portrait with Pipe c.1950–1952
Henryk Gotlib (1890–1966)
Oil on canvas
H 44 x W 35 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Herbert Morrison (1888–1965)
Ralph Sallon (1899–1999)
Watercolour on paper
H 35.5 x W 24 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Alfred Wolmark (1877–1961) c.1915–1920
Ernest Borough Johnson (1866–1949)
Pastel & watercolour on paper
H 55 x W 38 cm
Ben Uri Collection

Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
William Rothenstein (1872–1945) c.1940
Mark Wayner (1888–1980)
Stone lithograph on paper
H 35.5 x W 24 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Old Man in a Blue Smock
Leopold Pilichowski (1866–1934)
Oil on canvas
H 59.5 x W 49 cm
Ben Uri Collection

Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Theodore Herzl
Leopold Pilichowski (1866–1934)
Oil on canvas
H 91 x W 55.5 cm
Ben Uri Collection

Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
The Blind Fiddler 1924
Isaac Lichtenstein (1887–1981)
Oil on canvas
H 89 x W 63 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Wounded
Jankel Adler (1895–1949)
Acrylic on paper on board
H 54.5 x W 37 cm
Ben Uri Collection

Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Cottages in the Country 1932
Lena Pillico (1884–1947)
Oil on canvas
H 50.5 x W 65 cm
Ben Uri Collection

Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Tears 1993
Alicia Melamed Adams (1927–2022)
Oil, mixed media & collage on canvas
H 80 x W 63 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
La grande peur du monde 1940–1944
Marthe Hekimi (b.1884)
Oil on canvas
H 89 x W 130.5 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Still Life with Skull
Josef Karpf (1900–1993)
Oil on board
H 37 x W 50 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Pages from the Diary of David Rubinowicz 2005
Shmuel Dresner (1928–2020)
Collage on paper
H 20 x W 27.5 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
74 Chodecz and Dorset 2008
Roman Halter (1927–2012)
Watercolour & ink on paper
H 23 x W 33 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Refugees c.1941
Josef Herman (1911–2000)
Gouache on paper
H 47 x W 39.5 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© estate of Josef Herman. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Study for 'In Memory of the Fighters for the Warsaw Ghetto' 1986
Josef Herman (1911–2000)
Pen & ink & wash on paper
H 45.7 x W 40.7 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© estate of Josef Herman. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Tribute to Goya's Black Pictures 1974, reworked 1998
Josef Herman (1911–2000)
Oil on canvas
H 119.4 x W 91.4 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© estate of Josef Herman. All rights reserved, DACS 2025. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Israel and the World Powers c.1950s
George Him (1900–1982)
Coloured pencil on paper
H 32.7 x W 32.2 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the copyright holder. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Abduction of Europa 2006
Adriana Swierszczek (b.1973)
Pencil & charcoal on paper
H 104 x W 132 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the artist. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection
Seated Female Nude 1975
Marek Żuławski (1908–1985)
Colour lithograph on paper
H 50 x W 38.5 cm
Ben Uri Collection

© the artist's estate. Image credit: Ben Uri Collection