Project co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund
Date:
sobota, 29 sierpnia 2026, godz. 13.00–14.30 Czas trwania: ok. 90 min. Miejsce: Galerie Stałe w Gmachu Głównym MNW Dla kogo: bez ograniczeń wiekowych Zasady udziału: bilet wstępu na Galerie Stałe dostępny w kasie Muzeum / 5 zł na hasło “WBO” w godzinach trwania wydarzenia, liczba biletów ograniczona Dostępność wydarzenia: brak barier architektonicznych, brak tłumaczenia na język migowy
NMW volunteer programme
The volunteer programme of the National Museum in Warsaw invites you to another edition of The Great Botanical Storytelling, created by NMW volunteers. The series is devoted to selected works from the Museum’s collection and draws attention to the wealth of plant motifs in art. The partner of the June edition is the Greenery Authority of the City of Warsaw.
On Saturday 29 August, from 1:00pm to 2:30pm, in the permanent galleries of the National Museum in Warsaw, participants will look at selected works together with volunteers and experts from the Greenery Authority of the City of Warsaw. The guides will encourage close looking and will enrich their interpretations with specialist knowledge about the role plants play in the world around us and about their cultural meaning. The meeting is also a chance to ask questions and talk about art together.
Please download the map marking the places in the permanent galleries where you can meet the volunteers and the experts from the Greenery Authority of the City of Warsaw — the map is available at this link.
SELECTED WORKS — JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL MEETING BY THE PAINTINGS
The papyrus shows the deceased’s imagined journey through the Afterlife, her admission among the gods after an offering to Re-Horakhty, and homage paid to beings of the world of the dead. Among the motifs are also lotus flowers. What role did mythological papyri play in ancient Egypt, and what might the lotus have symbolised? If you want to discover the uniqueness and secrets of this work, join us in the Gallery of Ancient Art.
Julita Rękawek-Teixeira – archaeologist and populariser of archaeology, known online as Archeopasja. She is passionate about prehistoric art, especially rock paintings and engravings, and about the iconography of ancient cultures. She is particularly interested in the beginnings of symbolic thinking and human creativity, and in whether neuroscience can help archaeology answer the question of where art begins.
The painting shows an exceptionally rich composition of flowers, fruit, birds and small animals against a backdrop of ruins. This pairing of life and death becomes a reminder of the transience of human life and of the hope of renewal. What will we discover when we look more closely at the details of this almost unreal composition? Which plants symbolise the fragility of life and its passing? Visit the Gallery of Old Art and learn the story this unique painting holds.
Beata Wolniewicz: “I have been a volunteer at the NMW for two years and I take part in the programme ‘Volunteers on works of art’, in which I prepare stories about works I have chosen.”
Magdalena Banach – landscape architect. She works at the Greenery Authority of the City of Warsaw, where with her team she looks after greenery in Bielany and Żoliborz. A creative soul with a passion for art, gardens and travel. Day to day she tends a jungle at home and listens to a cat purring.
The painting shows the palace in Łazienki Królewskie seen from the amphitheatre – the architecture of the residence is harmoniously set in an extensive park landscape. The building dominates the background, and the composition is completed by lush vegetation. What role does light play in building the mood of a warm summer day? What is a landscape park, and what function did it serve? Come to the Gallery of 19th-Century Art and try to answer these and other questions in discussion.
Beata Jaworowska – an NMW volunteer since 2018. Professionally she works among other things in marketing; in her free time she travels, reads, meets friends and Nordic walks.
Hubert Mateuszczyk – ornithologist at the Greenery Authority of the City of Warsaw. A bird enthusiast and expert on their habits and migrations. Participant in research and scientific projects.
The artist depicted a standing woman, slightly turned to the right. In one hand she holds a bouquet of flowers, and at her feet is a basket of vegetables. What role does the woman’s relationship with the nature around her play in the composition, and how does it shape the meaning of the whole work? Join us in the Gallery of 19th-Century Art, where you can discover the story told in this painting.
Anna Susek – an NMW volunteer since 2023, always keen to learn about new cultures and languages. In art, as in life, she likes themes connected with nature – proud carer of a representative of the species felis catus, Felicjan.
This remarkable study of light and nature, painted in 1893 during the artist’s stay in Sobótka, shows how the painter translated direct observation of nature into the language of art. A meadow, trees and a winding stream create a rich palette of colour that captures the authentic atmosphere of the place. What painterly devices did the artist use to seize fleeting impressions? Visit the Gallery of 19th-Century Art to find answers to these and other questions.
Małgorzata Hernik – a cardiologist with a love of art. In the ‘Volunteers on works of art’ programme at the National Museum in Warsaw she tries to introduce listeners to the fascinating world of works by outstanding artists.
Anna Zawitkowska – landscape architect. She works at the Greenery Authority of the City of Warsaw, where day to day she looks after greenery in Bielany and Żoliborz. Passionate about blue-green infrastructure, art, dance and nature
Illustration: Olga Boznańska, Girl with a basket of vegetables in a garden, 1891, National Museum in Warsaw. See the painting in Digital NMW.
Discover the digital collections of the National Museum in Warsaw and explore thousands of works of art — from painting and sculpture to prints, photography and decorative arts. Browse objects, artists and collections, learning their history through detailed descriptions and high-quality reproductions. Visit the site and see the richness of the MNW collections from anywhere, at any time.
14 May – 25 October 2026 Xawery Dunikowski Museum of Sculpture in Królikarnia
17 April – 13 September 2026 The National Museum in Warsaw
