The Collection: Basil Alkazzi And The National Museum In Gdańsk

This exhibition presents works by Basil Alkazzi within the broader context of the museum’s contemporary collection, foregrounding both individual acquisition histories and the development of the institution’s international holdings. It functions as a hybrid presentation, combining elements of collection display, curatorial narrative, and publication-based documentation. The exhibition was developed around works held within the collection of the National Museum in Gdańsk, alongside works by other internationally significant artists acquired through the Basil Alkazzi and Halima Nalecz Fund. It positions Alkazzi’s practice within a wider network of post-war and contemporary artists represented in the museum’s holdings, highlighting the role of long-term collecting strategies in shaping institutional narratives. Rather than presenting a chronological survey, the exhibition emphasises the structure of the collection itself — mapping relationships between works acquired across different periods and situating them within a broader curatorial framework of international modern and contemporary art. The exhibition was closely associated with curatorial research and publication activity led by Wojciech Zmorzynski, and coincided with the publication of a bilingual institutional catalogue documenting the collection and its acquisition history. Participating artists: Basil Alkazzi, Elizabeth Blackadder, John Houston, Judith K. Brodsky, David Hockney, Elizabeth Frink, John Hedgecoe, Paul Huxley, Sadie Tierney, Richard Galloway, Joe Tilson, Masaaki Ohya, Myoung-Cheul Chung, Jeffrey Camp, Isabel Young, Kay Donachie, Rennie Tait, Ray Atkins, Les Christensen, Jenny Franklin, Simon Larbalestier, Simon Willem, Graham Crawley, Matthew Burrows, David Rayson, Dominic Clenence, Thomas Connolly, Lucy Jones, Christopher Orr, Paul Storey, Sandow Birk, Mark Podwal, Serena Bocchino, Cecilia Vargas, Nana Shiomi, Stephen Thorpe, Joshua Thompson, Joash Woodrow.