Wiktor Tołkin

Wiktor Tołkin
Wiktor Tołkin
Born	February 21, 1922 Tołkacze, Poland
Died	May 7, 2013 Warsaw, Poland
Citizenship	Polish
Occupation	Sculptor
Known for	Monumental memorial sculpture

Wiktor Tołkin (February 21, 1922 in Tołkacze, Poland – May 7, 2013) was a Polish sculptor and architect. Member of Armia Krajowa during World War II; he was arrested by the Gestapo, and incarcerated at the concentration camp Auschwitz between 17 November 1942 and February 1944. Tołkin survived a death march to Stalag at Sandbostel.

Work

Tołkin graduated from two universities, the Gdańsk Polytechnic, and the Gdańsk Academy of Fine Arts (pl), to become one of the more influential Polish artists of the 1960s. He is best known for his monumental sculptures built in memory of the victims of the German concentration camps in Stutthof and Majdanek. His most recognized works are abstract forms of colored concrete with expressive form, incorporating architectural design and elements.

Leading works

• Monument The Marrying of Poland with the Sea in Kolobrzeg, built November 30, 1963.
• Monument Fight and Martyrdom in the Nazi concentration camp in Stutthof, built May 12, 1968.
• Monument Fight and Martyrdom and the mausoleum-pantheon in the Nazi contentration camp in Majdanek, built in 1969.
• Fight and Martyrdom in Pawiak, Warsaw.
• Monument to the Battle of in Plock, (1978)

• 
  "Fight and Martyrdom", Sztutowo (Poland)
• 
  "Fight and Martyrdom", Majdanek (Poland)
• 
  Backsight of the "Fight and Martyrdom" monument in Majdanek
• 
  Mausoleum at Majdanek, inscription: "Let our fate be a warning to you"
• 
  Monument to the Polish wedding at sea, Kołobrzeg

Bibliography

• Pomnik Ofiar Majdanka
• Kto jest kim w Polsce, edycja IV (zespół redakcyjny Beata Cynkier i inni), Warszawa 2001, s. 970–971