Tėvo aistros tęsimas. Henrikas Slizienis ir jo meno kolekcija

ENHenrikas Juozapas Slizienis (Henryk Józef Ślizień) was one of the sons of the well - known talented amateur sculptor and art collector Rapolas Slizienis (Rafał Ślizień, 1803-1881). He inherited the property Wolna situated in the district of Nowogrodek from his father. There was a collection of art, including bronzes and porcelain, together with sketches of artists of Vilnius school and the works of Aleksander Orłowski, as well as religious images collected mainly by Rafał Ślizień. This collection became the foundation of Henryks collection, who systematically increased it. Around the year 1903, Henryk permanently moves from Wolna to Warsaw. During this time comes Śliziens most intense activity in the field of collecting and presenting his collections at numerous exhibitions. At the Virgin Mary’s Exhibition, held in 1905 in Warsaw, he presented his very rich collection of religious medals and coins, 725 pieces in total, and also amongst others signet rings, prayer books or paintings. Some of the most valuable items from the collection, Henryk Józef Ślizień donated to the Ethnographical Museum in Warsaw, the Warsaw Music Society (Sections by the name of Stanisław Moniuszko) or the Society of Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw (Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych).Probably before the Great War or during it, Ślizień, moved his Polish - French library and more valuable collections from Wolna to Warsaw, the rest of the collection of books from Wolna estate was destroyed or dispersed during the war. After Ślizień death, around 1920, his wife sold a part of the husbands collection to a reputable collector Dominik Witke-Jeżewski. She also turned over family documents, seals, several devotional images and books as a gift for the National Museum in Warsaw. Henryk Józef Ślizień as an heir to the collection after his father, proudly continued his passion for collecting art. He continued to expand his collection, he lent exhibits to exhibitions and photographic reproductions in books. He was a member and donor of artistic associations. A very few objects from Ślizień collection survived to our times. We can find the remaining exhibits from the former collection only in a few museums and libraries. The rest is known only from reproductions or the descriptions in the books or the pre-war exhibition catalogues. He gave more valuable exhibits from its collection to museums or public institutions as a gift to the entire nation.