Mieczysław Fogg was an artist who devoted his life to singing and performing. Despite changing trends in music, he remained faithful to his unique style, because 'the trick is not to shoot to fame, but to go on and not bore people,' as he said.
The show places Fogg and his career in the context of 20th-century Poland. While the 1950s saw an explosion of new musical genres, with younger acts gaining popularity among the audiences, Fogg remained faithful to his style and performing technique. A great lover of the Polish capital, he was named the 'Songster of Warsaw', while his name and the Polish songs he popularised became known around the world.
The display includes memorabilia from the family archive of Michał Fogg, the artist’s great-grandson and the Museum of Polish Song in Opole, including items that have never been publicly showcased before: stage photographs, prizes, travel souvenirs, a tailcoat he used to wear onstage, his WWII resistance fighter’s uniform, and chronicles kept by his first wife, Irena. Taking pride of place will be the upright piano used by the artist almost for his entire life.
Mounted in collaboration with the Museum of Polish Song in Opole.
Mieczysław Fogg. Songster of the Poles
An exhibition
Theatre Museum, Polish National Opera, Teatr Wielki, Warsaw
16 September 2021–4 January 2022
