The Board of the Wielkopolska Branch of ZPAF convened the first post-sandem meeting of members on Thursday, January 5. As I was driving to this meeting I received sad news - on the same day passed away the Man to whom this branch of ZPAF, and in general, the entire photographic environment in Poznan owes so much.
It was thanks to his determination that it was in Poznan that photography found its way into the salons of universities, it was here that the study of photography at the college level began. Thursday's meeting of ZPAF, thanks to its president Zdzislaw Orlowski, Maciej Mankowski and Wojciech Beszterda, became mainly an evening of memories of the extraordinary figure of Stefan Wojnecki. Not only the most important achievements of the Professor were recalled, but also numerous anecdotes involving him.
Here is what his beloved university - the University of Arts in Poznan - wrote about the Deceased Professor on its website (entry dated 5.01.2023):
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Professor Stefan Wojnecki - an artist counted among the photographic neo-avant-garde, animator and theoretician of photography, associated with the concepts of intermedia and post-media photography. Stefan Wojnecki was the first titular professor in the history of Polish higher education in the artistic discipline of photography. He was also the initiator of higher studies in photography. From 1978 he worked at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Poznań (now UAP).
From 1987 to 1993, he served as dean of the Faculty of Painting, Graphic Arts and Sculpture, and directed the After-School of Professional Photography. Since 1971 he was a member of the Union of Polish Artists Photographers, he held the most important positions in the Polish photographic movement. Author of numerous theoretical statements related to photography. Since 1956, he participated as an artist and curator in more than a hundred collective exhibitions at home and abroad, and was the author of dozens of solo exhibitions. Originator and long-time president of the Scientific Society of Photography. He was a long-time expert of the Council for Higher Art Education.
Stefan Wojnecki received a number of honors, awards and decorations, including the medal of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznań Scholae Bene Merito, the Artistic Award of the City of Poznań, the Medal of 150 years of Photography, the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture Gloria Artis and the Knight's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland.
To the family, friends and all students of Prof. Stefan Wojnecki, we extend our deepest sympathies.
Rector, Senate, Department of Photography and the entire academic community of the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of Arts in Poznan..
Prof. Stefan Wojnecki's last farewell will be held on January 14 at 11 am at St. Martin's Parish and at 1 pm in the chapel at the cemetery in Juników, Poznan.
Below we recall Zbigniew Tomaszczuk's article on Stefan Wojnecki's work from the first issue of "Kwartalnik Fotografia" in 2000.
The author of the photograph used in the article is Przemek Pielecki, a student of Stefan Wojnecki.
