The visit includes a meeting on Thursday with Gabriel Finaldi, the director of London's National Gallery, which earlier this year hosted an exhibition entitled Conversations with God: Jan Matejko’s Copernicus.
Its focal point was the work Astronomer Copernicus, or the Conversation with God by Polish painter Jan Matejko. The display marked the first time a work by a Polish artist was shown at Britain’s premier gallery.
Later in the day, Gliński, who also serves as a Polish deputy prime minister, is due to attend the opening of the Young Poland: An Arts and Crafts Movement (1890-1918)" exhibition at the William Morris Gallery.
It is the first major exhibition exploring the decorative arts and architecture of a cultural movement that flourished in the decades preceding the regaining of independence by Poland in 1918.
Originating in the southern Polish city of Kraków and the resort of Zakopane at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, the Young Poland movement sought inspiration in local folk traditions, wildlife and craftsmanship.
The London show reveals the movement’s strong stylistic and philosophical affinities with the work of British artists William Morris and John Ruskin. It brings together more than 150 works, most of which had never before travelled outside of Poland.
The exhibition is a collaborative project led by the William Morris Gallery and the National Museum in Kraków, delivered in partnership with the Polish Cultural Institute in London, and in association with arts publisher Lund Humphries.
It is co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport as part of the Inspiring Culture Programme.
Thursday’s programme of Gliński’s visit also comprises a meeting at the headquarters of the Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) in London, featuring a dress rehearsal of its new theatre production, Gabriela Zapolska’s The Morality of Mrs Dulska.
On Friday, Gliński is scheduled to have more meetings with the Polish community in the UK, including the Chopin Society UK, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the IBB Polonia London volleyball team, the current champions of England.
(mk/gs)