Walter Benjamin wrote of ‘latent capital’ when reflecting on collecting as a passion capable of reactivating what is old, ‘a coup aimed at what is typical and classifiable’, at authority and tradition. In this sense, collecting becomes a practice with subversive potential, one that resists the linear narratives and hierarchies of conventional art history.
Andrzej Skrzyński’s collection defies organization by medium. Paintings, photographs, sculptures, objects, and films form a single, intertwined field rather than separate categories. There is no privileged chronology: works by emerging artists coexist with those of established figures.
The collection is neither linear nor hierarchical, though it may appear chaotic at first glance. It is shaped by subjective, often impulsive decisions— by encounters, affinities, and moments of fascination. As such, it is not the result of mechanical accumulation but of sustained proximity to art: exhibitions visited, studios entered, conversations held. The repeated appearance of certain names in the collection suggests not only persistence, but also a form of attachment—an ongoing negotiation between desire, intuition, and commitment.
This mode of collecting extends into everyday life. Art is not stored at a distance but lived with: images occupy nearly every corner, leaning against walls, tucked under the bed, hidden in wardrobes, or stacked behind furniture. The collection functions less as an archive than as an environment—one navigated physically and mentally on a daily basis.
The collection contributes to a broader, more complex image of contemporary art than the one shaped by institutional canons. It includes works by radical artists whose practices challenged established norms and long remained outside official frameworks. Alongside canonical figures of modernism and neo-avant-garde experimentation appear iconic works by rebellious women artists whose audacity confronted the art establishment decades ago. The collection also holds works by outsiders marginalized by institutionally formatted art histories, as well as early acquisitions by young artists, made before their positions became fully visible on the contemporary art scene.
The latent capital of this collection does not reside in market value or speculative potential. It is a symbolic capital, accumulated through attention, risk, and long-term engagement, and activated through display, encounter, and reinterpretation.
This selection from Andrzej Skrzyński’s collection inaugurates a new exhibition cycle devoted to the practice of collecting. It opens a space for reflection on the culture-forming role of private collections and on the shifting boundaries between private and public.
