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Zbigniew Mikielewicz with the “Gloria Artis” Medal, photo by Mikołaj Kuras for the UMWKP
Zbigniew Mikielewicz with the “Gloria Artis” Medal, photo by Mikołaj Kuras for the UMWKP

Creator of Our Pola Negri Statuette Receives the “Gloria Artis” Medal

Zbigniew Mikielewicz, creator of the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region’s Pola Negri Film Award statuette, has received the bronze “Gloria Artis” Medal.

The “Meritorious for Polish Culture Gloria Artis” Medal has been awarded by the Minister of Culture since 2005 to individuals and institutions for outstanding achievements in the fields of art, culture and the protection of national heritage. The distinction has three grades: gold, silver and bronze.

Zbigniew Mikielewicz received the bronze “Gloria Artis” Medal during Monday’s (31 August) session of the Regional Parliament at the Marshal’s Office in Toruń. The Latin name means “glory to art”. Marshal Piotr Całbecki presented the Toruń artist’s extensive body of work, highlighting his projects of national significance, including the General Stefan “Grot” Rowecki monument in Warsaw, the reconstruction of the Polish Military Organisation monument in front of the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, the monument to Bolesław III Wrymouth in Płock and the monument to Cardinal Hlond in Katowice. He described the multi-element installation at the Memorial Park for the Victims of the 1939 Pomeranian Crime in Toruń as a particularly exceptional work. He also recalled that Mikielewicz designed the Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region’s Pola Negri Film Award, presented since 2022. The award takes the form of a stylised film strip featuring the image of the world cinema icon, who was born in Lipno.

Recipients of the Marshal’s Film Award

This is not Mikielewicz’s only work connected with cinema. In 2006, a monument he designed to Kargul and Pawlak, the protagonists of Sylwester Chęciński’s comedy trilogy All Among Ourselves, Big Deal and Love or Leave, was unveiled near Cinema City in Toruń.

“His works have left a lasting mark not only on the landscape of our region, but also on the memory of its residents,” Marshal Całbecki said.

Clearly moved, the laureate said that receiving the “Gloria Artis” Medal was a great honour for him: “This is an absolutely exceptional day in my life,” he said.

Zbigniew Mikielewicz is a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Nicolaus Copernicus University. In 1983, he received his degree in sculpture from the studio of Professor Barbara Bieniulis-Strynkiewicz. In 2010, he was awarded the “Thorunium” Medal by the Mayor of Toruń in recognition of his contributions to the city. In 2025, he received the Marshal’s Award for his lifetime artistic achievements. He is also an artistic ambassador for Kujawy and Pomorze.

Zbigniew Mikielewicz’s Major Works

  • Memorial Park for the Victims of the 1939 Pomeranian Crime in Toruń
  • General Stefan “Grot” Rowecki Monument in Warsaw
  • Reconstruction of the Polish Military Organisation Monument in front of the Zachęta National Gallery of Art in Warsaw
  • Cosmopolis Fountain in Toruń
  • Monument to Bolesław III Wrymouth in Płock
  • Monument to Cardinal Hlond in Katowice
  • Monument to Pope John Paul II in Los Angeles
  • Epitaphs commemorating those murdered in Katyń, Kharkiv, Mednoye and Pyatikhatki – Katyń Museum in Warsaw
  • Monument to President Władysław Raczkiewicz in Toruń
  • Memorial Quarter in Oksywie, Gdynia
  • Cavalryman Monument in Chełmno
  • Monument to Father Jerzy Popiełuszko in Solec Kujawski
  • Adoration Chapel in the Church of the Holy Spirit in Toruń
  • Fountain and sculptural works in front of the Marshal’s Office in Toruń
  • Filuś the Dog sculpture – an installation commemorating Zbigniew Lengren at the Old Town Square in Toruń

Dariusz Czołgowski
Department of Promotion

31 August 2026