Zbigniew Leszczynski (Les)
Other names: Between 1949 and 1980 he abbreviated his surname to 'Les'
Born 27 April 1914
Died 8 August 2003
Active: 1946 - 1985
Country of birth: Poland
Country of death: England
Sculptor, school teacher
Born in Dosin, Poland. He completed his studies at the Luck gymnasium in 1934. Leszczynski then attended the military school, also in Luck, and was commissioned in 1938. During the Second World War he served in the Polish 45th Foot Regiment. Following the Nazi invasion of Poland, Leszczynski was held as a POW at Balatonlelle, Hungary. He managed to escape some three months later, and made his way to France where he reconnected with some of the Polish Army. When France fell to the Germans, Leszczynski managed to get to Britain where he remained throughout the rest of the war.
From c.1945, Leszczynski studied at the University of Edinburgh and gained a certificate in Social Studies and an MA Honours in Fine Art. He also studied sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art. Leszczynski became a British national on 21 January 1955. He taught art in secondary schools in Cumbria, Newcastle and, possibly, the Stoke area until his retirement in 1972.
Leszczynski was active as a sculptor from about 1946-47 until 1985 or thereabouts, when the effects of a stroke restricted his ability to work. He carved for his own interest and also for commissions. Leszczynski was an abstract artist, and his preferred media were wood and stone, but he also sculpted in a variety of other materials including clay, plaster, cement and concrete.
This biography is based in information supplied by his nephew, Martin MacGilp.
Locations
Address 72 Morningside Road Edinburgh Scotland | View on map
1949 (Circa) - 1952 (Circa)
Address 2 Woodburn Place Edinburgh 10 Scotland | View on map
1955
Address Newlands House Mealsgate Carlisle (near) England | View on map
1958 - 1959
Exhibited at the annual exhibition 2 times: 1958 (1 work) and 1959 (1 work)
Exhibitions, Meetings, Awards and other Events
Exhibited at The Royal Scottish Academy Exhibition, 1826-
1949 - 1959
Exhibited at the annual exhibition 4 times: 1949 (2 works), 1952 (1 work), 1958 (1 work) and 1959 (1 work).
Exhibited at The Royal Glasgow Institute of the Fine Arts Annual Exhibition, 1861-1951
1950 - 1958
Exhibited 3 times (an average of one work per year)
Sources
British Phone Books, 1885-1984
2007
Name: Zbigniew Les
Address: 652 Les Zbigniew 20 Carrickknowe Gv 12
Exchange: 2S??J
Directory title: Edinburgh / Lothians Mar
Publication Year: 1981
Directory County: Midlothian, East Lothian, West Lothian
Page Number: 313
The Edinburgh Gazette
Issue 17269, p. 167
Citing this record
'Zbigniew Leszczynski (Les)', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib1_1265027049, accessed 25 Sep 2023]
