Meditation Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (1928–2016), 1971 color lithograph, 22x30 in, signed, ed. 15/25, experimental split-color print
Original 1971 color lithograph titled Meditation by Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (1928–2016), edition 15/25, signed and dated in pencil, measuring 22 x 30 inches. A rare small-edition impression demonstrating Lapinski’s experimental split-color “rainbow” lithography, combining geometric precision with organic abstraction and meditative symbolism. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Artwork Description
Meditation, printed in 1971, represents a mature and highly refined example of Lapinski’s manual plate lithography. The composition is vertically organized around a warm central column of ochre, amber, and burnt sienna, layered with textured blue-gray organic forms that appear cellular and fluid. The lower register is populated by dense, stone-like silhouettes that subtly evoke a gathering of abstracted human figures.
At the top, two luminous concentric circular forms—cool gradients shifting from slate and teal into pale ivory—hover within a rectangular field. They function almost as contemplative lenses or eyes, reinforcing the title’s spiritual undertone. Surrounding gray striated fields resemble woodgrain or etched linear patterning, anchoring the composition with structural rigor.
Lapinski’s split-color method produces nuanced tonal transitions within single forms, creating the distinctive “rainbow print” effect for which he became internationally recognized. The chromatic interplay between cool blue-grays and warm oranges generates visual tension while maintaining overall compositional balance. The surface retains the tactile qualities of experimental lithography, revealing the artist’s hands-on engagement with plate preparation and gum etching techniques.
This impression is signed Lapinski ’71 at the lower right, titled Meditation at the center lower margin, and numbered 15/25 at the lower left. The small edition size underscores its rarity and importance within his early 1970s Washington, D.C. period.
Artist Biography
Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (June 20, 1928 – September 14, 2016) was born in Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland. Named after Polish national hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, his artistic inclination was encouraged by his grandfather. His adolescence was marked by the trauma of World War II. During the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, he was wounded by shrapnel and a bullet at age sixteen, captured, and later escaped from a concentration camp before being nursed back to health by Polish peasants.
He earned his MFA in 1955 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, studying painting under Artur Nacht-Samborski and graphic arts under Jozef Pakulski and Jozef Tom. After teaching in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, he left Poland in 1963, traveling through Yugoslavia, France, and Brazil before settling in the United States in the late 1960s.
Encounters with figures such as Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko broadened his exposure to contemporary American art, yet he remained devoted to experimental printmaking. In 1972, he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he later became professor emeritus. In the late 1970s, he married painter and textile artist Maria Aust, granddaughter of Jozef Chelmonski.
Lapinski revolutionized lithography with his split-color method, producing luminous tonal gradients known in Poland as “rainbow prints.” However, his extensive chemical experimentation led to a near-fatal case of aplastic anemia in 1976 after prolonged exposure to benzene. Following hospitalization, he was unable to personally execute his printing, though his artistic production continued.
His works are held in major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Museum, Warsaw; National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution; Whitney Museum, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Central Institute of Art, Beijing; Albertina Museum, Vienna; National Library of France; National Gallery of Canada; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Miami Museum of Modern Art; University of Maryland Art Gallery; and the University of Arizona.
Among his many honors are the UNESCO International Prize (1965); Gold Medal, Biennale Lausanne (1969); Grand Prize, Graphic International Festival, Vienna (1977); Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2008); and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2012). In 1981, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry proclaimed December 9 as “Lapinski Day.” He received honorary citizenship of Grodzisk Mazowiecki in 2011.
Deep Dive to 2026:
Lapinski remains a pivotal figure in postwar Polish-American printmaking. His tenure at the University of Maryland shaped multiple generations of printmakers, and his experimental color separation techniques are studied in contemporary print departments. His works continue to appear in museum exhibitions examining Cold War diaspora artists and late 20th-century graphic innovation. By 2026, his legacy is firmly established as a bridge between European avant-garde training and American experimental practice, with Meditation standing as a quintessential example of his spiritual and technical synthesis.
Tadeusz A. Lapinski (1928–2016), Meditation, 1971 color lithograph, signed and numbered 15/25, 22 x 30 inches. Rare experimental split-color print.
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that the artwork Meditation is an original 1971 color lithograph by Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (1928–2016).
Medium: Color lithograph on paper
Dimensions: 22 x 30 inches
Edition: 15/25
Signature: Signed and dated ’71 in pencil
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
This work is guaranteed authentic to the best of our professional knowledge and expertise.
Condition
Very good vintage condition. Minor age toning at margins consistent with period. Strong color clarity and intact surface. No visible restoration.
Provenance
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
Citations:
Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw archives
University of Maryland faculty records
UNESCO International Prize documentation (1965)
Biennale Lausanne records (1969)
Polish Ministry of Culture – Gloria Artis (2008)
Order of Polonia Restituta (2012)
Institutional collection records listed above
Meditation Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (1928–2016), 1971 color lithograph, 22x30 in, signed, ed. 15/25, experimental split-color print
Original 1971 color lithograph titled Meditation by Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (1928–2016), edition 15/25, signed and dated in pencil, measuring 22 x 30 inches. A rare small-edition impression demonstrating Lapinski’s experimental split-color “rainbow” lithography, combining geometric precision with organic abstraction and meditative symbolism. Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC.
Artwork Description
Meditation, printed in 1971, represents a mature and highly refined example of Lapinski’s manual plate lithography. The composition is vertically organized around a warm central column of ochre, amber, and burnt sienna, layered with textured blue-gray organic forms that appear cellular and fluid. The lower register is populated by dense, stone-like silhouettes that subtly evoke a gathering of abstracted human figures.
At the top, two luminous concentric circular forms—cool gradients shifting from slate and teal into pale ivory—hover within a rectangular field. They function almost as contemplative lenses or eyes, reinforcing the title’s spiritual undertone. Surrounding gray striated fields resemble woodgrain or etched linear patterning, anchoring the composition with structural rigor.
Lapinski’s split-color method produces nuanced tonal transitions within single forms, creating the distinctive “rainbow print” effect for which he became internationally recognized. The chromatic interplay between cool blue-grays and warm oranges generates visual tension while maintaining overall compositional balance. The surface retains the tactile qualities of experimental lithography, revealing the artist’s hands-on engagement with plate preparation and gum etching techniques.
This impression is signed Lapinski ’71 at the lower right, titled Meditation at the center lower margin, and numbered 15/25 at the lower left. The small edition size underscores its rarity and importance within his early 1970s Washington, D.C. period.
Artist Biography
Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (June 20, 1928 – September 14, 2016) was born in Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland. Named after Polish national hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, his artistic inclination was encouraged by his grandfather. His adolescence was marked by the trauma of World War II. During the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, he was wounded by shrapnel and a bullet at age sixteen, captured, and later escaped from a concentration camp before being nursed back to health by Polish peasants.
He earned his MFA in 1955 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, studying painting under Artur Nacht-Samborski and graphic arts under Jozef Pakulski and Jozef Tom. After teaching in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, he left Poland in 1963, traveling through Yugoslavia, France, and Brazil before settling in the United States in the late 1960s.
Encounters with figures such as Andy Warhol and Mark Rothko broadened his exposure to contemporary American art, yet he remained devoted to experimental printmaking. In 1972, he joined the faculty of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he later became professor emeritus. In the late 1970s, he married painter and textile artist Maria Aust, granddaughter of Jozef Chelmonski.
Lapinski revolutionized lithography with his split-color method, producing luminous tonal gradients known in Poland as “rainbow prints.” However, his extensive chemical experimentation led to a near-fatal case of aplastic anemia in 1976 after prolonged exposure to benzene. Following hospitalization, he was unable to personally execute his printing, though his artistic production continued.
His works are held in major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; National Museum, Warsaw; National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution; Whitney Museum, Washington, D.C.; Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; Central Institute of Art, Beijing; Albertina Museum, Vienna; National Library of France; National Gallery of Canada; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Miami Museum of Modern Art; University of Maryland Art Gallery; and the University of Arizona.
Among his many honors are the UNESCO International Prize (1965); Gold Medal, Biennale Lausanne (1969); Grand Prize, Graphic International Festival, Vienna (1977); Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2008); and the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2012). In 1981, Washington, D.C. Mayor Marion Barry proclaimed December 9 as “Lapinski Day.” He received honorary citizenship of Grodzisk Mazowiecki in 2011.
Deep Dive to 2026:
Lapinski remains a pivotal figure in postwar Polish-American printmaking. His tenure at the University of Maryland shaped multiple generations of printmakers, and his experimental color separation techniques are studied in contemporary print departments. His works continue to appear in museum exhibitions examining Cold War diaspora artists and late 20th-century graphic innovation. By 2026, his legacy is firmly established as a bridge between European avant-garde training and American experimental practice, with Meditation standing as a quintessential example of his spiritual and technical synthesis.
Tadeusz A. Lapinski (1928–2016), Meditation, 1971 color lithograph, signed and numbered 15/25, 22 x 30 inches. Rare experimental split-color print.
Certificate of Authentication
This certifies that the artwork Meditation is an original 1971 color lithograph by Tadeusz Andrzej Lapinski (1928–2016).
Medium: Color lithograph on paper
Dimensions: 22 x 30 inches
Edition: 15/25
Signature: Signed and dated ’71 in pencil
Provenance: Mitch Morse Gallery; Artfind Gallery, Washington DC
This work is guaranteed authentic to the best of our professional knowledge and expertise.
Condition
Very good vintage condition. Minor age toning at margins consistent with period. Strong color clarity and intact surface. No visible restoration.
Provenance
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington DC (current owner)
Citations:
Academy of Fine Arts Warsaw archives
University of Maryland faculty records
UNESCO International Prize documentation (1965)
Biennale Lausanne records (1969)
Polish Ministry of Culture – Gloria Artis (2008)
Order of Polonia Restituta (2012)
Institutional collection records listed above
