Zofia Albinowska-Minkiewiczowa

Zofia Albinowska-Minkiewiczowa (born 1886 in Klagenfurt, Austria – 1971 in Lviv, Ukraine) was a Polish artist, painter and engraver tied to the Lviv circle of artists, and for many years the president of Polish Artists Union (Zwiazek Artystów Polskich). Born as Zofia Albinowska, she signed her paintings this way. She later married Witold Minkiewicz, professor of architecture in Lviv and Wrocław.

She started her education in 1901 first in private schools in Vienna and took lessons from Heindrich Strehblow, and since 1902 from Franz Hohenberg and Ferdinand Kruis, later 1906-1912 in Paris in Académie Colarossi and École des Beaux Arts. Studying in Paris she was in close relationship with Olga Boznańska and received many artistic lead from her. At this time she took many travels inside France and to England, Belgium, Netherlands and Italy.

Next in 1909–1912 Albinowska studied in the Vienna Kunstgewerbeschule, and afterwards she returned permanently to Lviv and stayed there for the rest of her life. At this time Lviv belonged to the Polish (province of Galicia) (being part of Austria-Hungary Empire), later to Poland (independent since 1918) and Ukraine (being part of Soviet Union). For many years between World War I and World War II Zofia Albinowska-Minkiewiczowa was the president of the Polish Artists Union (Związek Artystów Polskich). She participated in many domestic and international exhibitions, including Prague, Paris and New York.

Her early works are usually portraits, but later after 1920 she painted mainly small compositions showing room interiors, still life and flowers. Her works are sometimes described as being painted in a post-impressionist manner. She refused to paint the Soviet commanders saying that she can paint only the flowers.