Franciszek’s first exhibition, 1965
Photo taken in 1965 in Toruń, during the opening of the first individual exhibition of Franciszek Michałek’s works; as it later turned out, it was his only individual exhibition that took place during his lifetime. Photo: Bohdan Olechnicki.
Beginnings
The history of our projects dates back to the 1950s. At that time, the artist from Toruń Franciszek Michałek (1923-2006) graduates from the Faculty of Fine Arts under the direction of the famous Tymon Niesiołowski, one of the greatest Polish painters of the 20th century. He rejects the offer of his master to stay at the university and moves to Bydgoszcz, where he creates his first monumental wall compositions. He designs paintings in sanatoriums, cafes, office buildings, hotels and cinemas. This kind of art becomes his specialty and way of earning a living. By the end of the 70s, he creates several dozen monumental wall paintings in many cities.
Discovery
At the beginning of the 1980s, Franciszek stops creating and goes into oblivion. His works disappear, covered with shoddy decorations from the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. This story could have ended, but after his death, several hundred designs and sketches of paintings and decorative elements are discovered. These, mostly never presented, works make up a large posthumous exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Art in Toruń (more about the exhibition. Two years later, Franciszek’s son and friends transfer the original wall decorations created by his father to the wallpapers. Patterns from several decades ago come to life on the walls of contemporary interiors. This is how FREZO is created (the combination of words: Franciszek and Fresco), and the brand logo is stylized with the letter “F”, with which Franciszek marked his own candlesticks.
Not just walls
In the following years, the FREZO offer is expanded to include fabrics, carpets, artistic ceramics and posters. Despite the great diversity, the common denominator that unites FREZO products is the creativity and unique atmosphere created by Franciszek. Sketches and works from over half a century ago, arranged and reinterpreted by contemporary artists, fit perfectly into modern interiors.
Appreciation
FREZO wallpapers have been repeatedly appreciated and awarded, both for design and quality. Our products have received The Must Have 2017 quality mark awarded by the Łódź Design Festival as well as got to the finals of the prestigious Good Design competition organized by the Institute of Industrial Design in Warsaw and received the distinction of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The “Mania” carpet designed based on Franciszek’s drawing received a distinction at the Abimad interior design fair in Sao Paulo in 2019.
Franciszek Michałek
In the garden of his Toruń studio, photo: Bohdan Olechnicki, 1969
Franciszek Michałek
While studying at the Nicolaus Copernicus University, 1940s
Kasia and Franciszek
Franciszek with his niece Kasia, 1960s
Piotr and Franciszek
Franciszek with his son Piotr, around 1971
Life and work of Franciszek
Journey into the center of time
“I don’t know if Franciszek Michałek liked music. Perhaps he was listening to the radio when designing mosaics or scratching his lyrical compositions in black celluloid. He certainly knew „Na moście w Avignon”, a poem by Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński sung masterfully by Ewa Demarczyk. But did he feel any artistic communion with the poet who tragically died in the Warsaw Uprising? In my opinion, although they used various means of expression, they share a strong generational relationship. And maybe it was the mythical spirit of the times that made the lines of „Sur le pont d’Avignon” perfect for illustrating the atmosphere of Michałek’s artistic work. In any case, I say that they will fulfill this task much better than the critic or curator who translates what the artist wanted to convey on a daily basis.”