Józef Wilkoń (b. 1930), "Couple in an Embrace," 2026

Painting, mixed media, paper, 57x47 cm framed, with mat (28x38 cm unframed), artist’s signature “pdr,” certificate of authenticity.

Józef Wilkoń (born February 12, 1930, in Bogucice near Wieliczka) – Polish illustrator, painter, sculptor, and art historian. He has illustrated nearly two hundred books for children and adults published in Poland and several dozen published abroad. He also works in set design (the Wilam Horzyca Theater in Toruń, 1978) and designs tapestries (the Stanisław Wyspiański Cooperative in Kraków). Nature serves as the inspiration for his work, particularly animals, which he has made the main characters of his stories since the 1980s. Since the 1990s, he has also been creating “spatial illustrations”—that is, menageries made of wooden logs and sheet metal. He has gained international fame and has received numerous awards in Poland and abroad.