Etching. Dimensions: 27 x 24.5 cm, 39 x 53 cm
Limited edition: 9/30
Hand signature.
Painter and printmaker Marta Kremer was born on February 21, 1941 during the Nazi occupation. After the war ended, Soviet rule suppressed much of Poland's artistic output, and works were often scrutinized by the censors for anti-communist sentiments. Kremer spent most of her childhood at home due to a weak heart and frequent illnesses. For this reason, Kremer's earliest memories are dark, full of uncertainty and fear, a period from which she drew throughout her artistic career.
She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow in 1966. She began to exhibit her works, earning her recognition from Austrian and German art critics. The prestigious Albertina Museum in Vienna, "housing one of the largest and most valuable collections of prints in the world," acquired one of her prints in her first year out of the Academy. Kremer's first prize-winning works were illustrations of several Franz Kafka short stories. Soon after, these engravings were included in the German publication Kafka in der Kunst (Kafka in Art) by Wolfgang Rothe. By 1975, Kremer had received numerous awards throughout Poland; her works were included in eleven permanent collections. She then traveled to exhibitions throughout Europe and abroad. She participated in more than 70 exhibitions throughout Poland, Germany, Austria, Norway, France, Brazil, Argentina, Switzerland, Belgium, England, Finland, Italy, Venezuela, Cuba, Turkey, Iran and Australia. In December 1975, she moved to New York at the invitation of the Kosciuszko Foundation and worked and exhibited in Manhattan for a year. She then moved to West Virginia, where she became an official citizen in 1985.
Kremer continued to work from her home and exhibited internationally, receiving awards and scholarships for further travel. In 1991 she was able to return to Poland after the collapse of Soviet power, and in 1998 she returned permanently. She continues to live and work in Krakow.