James Ensor drew inspiration from traditions rich in biting humour, defiance and popular theatre culture, as well as from the colourful street carnivals of Flanders. Witold Wojtkiewicz, by contrast, found his muse in dreamlike visions, shaped by cabaret, satirical theatre and the folkloric Christmas cribs of Kraków.

Black Carnival. Ensor/Wojtkiewicz places the two artists in a playful confrontation. While they are often regarded as isolated figures, a surprising dialogue unfolds here. The motif of the carnival serves as a metaphor for life as a spectacle, an upside-down world ruled by madness, anarchy and chaos.

Amid this remarkable interplay, five works by James Ensor from The Phoebus Foundation collection are on view. The exhibition runs from 3 October 2025 to 11 January 2026 at the National Museum in Warsaw.