Biography

Emil Polit was born in the small village of Zmyslowka, Poland. Emil's passion for art at a young age brought him from his family farm to the Fine Arts Preparatory Academy in Jaroslaw, Poland in 1954. Five years later, he entered Poland's oldest and most renowned school of arts - the Fine Arts Academy in Krakow. With a Master of Fine Arts degree, obtained under the supervision of Professor Waclaw Taranczewski (a particularly accomplished Polish colorist), Emil graduated from the department of painting and lithography in 1965.

After graduate school, Emil settled in Rzeszow, Poland. In 1966, he was inducted into the Polish Professional Artists' Association. During the period of 1972 to 1979, he focused on industrial art design in parallel with his lifelong pursuit of painting and drawing. Thereafter, Emil transitioned to painting full time. Accepting a teaching position at the Fine Arts Preparatory Academy in Rzeszow in 1988, Emil has been serving as an artistic painting and drawing teacher. He also served there as the chairman of the art department for a number of years.

Throughout his career, Emil has actively participated in regional, national and international art exhibits and has received some of Poland's most prestigious awards, making Emil Polit one of the most recognizable names in Polish art. From 1989 through 1991, Emil was the director of the Rzeszow chapter of the Polish Professional Artists' Association. The Rzeszow Heritage Award was presented to him in 1996 for his unique and sizeable contributions to shaping and developing the region's art environment through his painting. The 2003 National Art Educator award was presented to him for his contributions to art education in Poland. Emil's art garnered many other recognitions over the years as well. The southeastern region of Poland in particular is home to some of Emil's most impressive works, including the Rzeszow Cathedral frescos and works on display at the Przemysl National Museum.

As part of his efforts to give back to the community that has embraced him, Emil provides significant charitable gifts to a number of organizations through annual art auctions. Some of the more notable events are the Polish Contemporary Art Auctions coordinated through the Polish Consulate in New York City. Others are donations to benefit the St. Albert Society, where he was awarded in 2002 with the Society's recognition statue for exceptional generosity. Emil also actively supports the Catholic Charities of the Rzeszow region with annual art gifts, as well as many others.

In addition to landscapes, portraits, allegorical, and still life subjects, Emil has focused significant energy on religious art, which is an integral part of his life. Five sets of Stations of the Cross, as well as numerous other paintings adorn many churches throughout Poland. He is also the artist responsible for the new magnificent frescos in the Rzeszow Cathedral.

Emil Polit has attracted many prominent art collectors over the years. His paintings can be found in Poland, USA, the Vatican, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria and Canada.