Medallions

Chromy’s interests, however, went beyond small and large sculptures. He attached great importance to items sometimes referred to as ‘pocket monuments’, i.e. medals. He made more than 800 of those with different themes and forms. In many ways, he was a pioneer; he co- founded the Polish school of medal-making, which had no significant earlier tradition, and this paradoxically made it easier to innovate. His specialty was casting medals which were soft in their form and had an organic, emotional look. He was also the first to pierce his medals; in a break with the convention, he often moved the story from the obverse to the reverse. One of his most wonderful creations was the medal celebrating the 150 th anniversary of his alma mater – a marvellous reference to the Creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel. Bronisław Chromy was not just a pre-eminent medallist, but also contributed to the establishment of the Medal Design and Production Studio at the Cracow Academy of Fine Arts.