[EROTICA] Maja (Maria) Berezowska (Baranovichi, 1898 – 1978, Warsaw) - Poland - Woman & Man (Senses, Frivolity, Eroticism) - Collection of Andrzej Czernik of the Orwał/Orwat Coat of Arms

Dimensions including frame: 28 cm x 22.5 cm
Dimensions of the drawing: 21 cm x 16 cm
Ink on paper
The composition depicts a reclining naked woman and man rendered in a synthetic, linear style. The man is shown in half-profile, with his head tilted upward and his arms raised above the woman’s silhouette. The artist used bold, dark ink lines of varying thickness, constructing the form with sparse yet expressive contours. The anatomy has been simplified and subordinated to the decorative rhythm of the lines.
The background remains almost entirely neutral, limited to a few sketchy outlines of the bed’s details. The work is signed “Maja 46.” It is framed in a simple, gilded wooden frame with a rounded profile. The piece as a whole has an intimate, intimate character.
Condition as shown in the photos
Maja Berezowska was born on April 13, 1893, in Baranovichi in the former Russian Empire (now Belarus), and died on May 31, 1978, in Warsaw. She was one of the most recognizable Polish artists of the 20th century—a painter, draftswoman, illustrator, set designer, and costume designer, known primarily for her bold satirical drawings and depictions of the female nude.
She came from a family with intellectual and artistic traditions. She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków under Józef Pankiewicz, and then continued her artistic education in Paris, where she encountered the European avant-garde and the artistic bohemian atmosphere of the early 20th century. The influences of French art, particularly Linear Art Nouveau and Art Deco, remained evident in her later work.
Her greatest popularity came from the illustrations she published in satirical and literary magazines during the interwar period. Berezowska specialized in a light, elegant line and the subtle eroticism of her depictions. Her works often portrayed women in a free, sensual, and modern way, which set her apart from the conservative social norms of the era. She collaborated with many Polish and foreign magazines, and her illustrations were published in France, Germany, and Sweden, among other countries.
In 1933, the artist found herself at the center of an international scandal following the publication of satirical drawings depicting Adolf Hitler. The German authorities deemed them an insult to the leader of the Third Reich, which led to a trial against the artist. The case caused a sensation across Europe and contributed to her growing recognition.
During World War II, she was arrested by the Germans and imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbrück. Despite her harrowing experiences, she continued her artistic work, creating drawings that documented the lives of female prisoners. After the war, she returned to her creative work, focusing on book illustration, theater set design, and painting.
Maja Berezowska’s work occupies an important place in the history of 20th-century Polish illustration and applied arts. Her works are currently held in museum collections and private collections in Poland and abroad. Her ink drawings and watercolors are particularly highly regarded, as they combine elegant lines with a distinct individual artistic style.