Book Description
During the 1970s, when many Eastern European citizens dreamed of going West, two young students travelled the other way. They studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and, much to everyone's surprise, stayed on to make a living as artists. Behind the Curtain is a graphic novel account of their journey. In this unique collaboration, two distinctive styles interweave to tell a charming and sophisticated story of life, art, politics. Behind the Curtain is a portrait of the cultural environment that flourished against the backdrop of the harsh realities of the communist state.
Behind the Curtain captures the absurdities of a time when toilet paper was worth its weight in gold, as well as the picturing the vibrant community of artists who were producing visionary theatrical productions, films, ground-breaking posters and exhibitions. It was a time when a Polish Pope was elected, Solidarity Free Trade Unions were formed and, eventually, tanks appeared in the streets.
About the Author
Klimowski has exhibited internationally, with work collected by museums in Europe and the United States. His acclaimed career has seen him designing film and theatre posters, as well as directing short, animated films in Warsaw plus designing covers for Penguin, Faber & Faber, Everyman Library and Oberon Books. His graphic novels include The Depository The Secret and Horace Dorlan. Klimowski is Professor of Illustration at the Royal College of Art, London. He has adapted The Master and Margarita and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for SelfMadeHero.
Born in London, Schejbal was awarded a British Council Scholarship to study Stage Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, Poland, and later studied Fashion and Textiles at Ealing School of Art, London. From 1976 to 1981, she designed sets and costumes for various theatres in Poland. Her career has subsequently seen her as a designer for the Cherub Theatre Company (1981 Sunday Telegraph Award for best production at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for Macbeth). Schejbal has exhibited her critically acclaimed paintings in exhibitions across Europe. She collaborated with Andrzej Klimoski on The Master and Margarita, illustrating the Passion story and the magical stories within the novel.
