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.

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 Mar 2023]