Biography timeline

1923

Born in Kwilcz, a village near Poznan, Western Poland, on October 21.

1946

Enrols as a student of painting and sculpture at the Krakow Academy of Fine Art.

1947

Studies Zbigniew Pronaszko’s studio alongside Jan Tarasin and Jerzy Tchórzewski.

1948

Makes amateur films as part of Andrzej Wróblewski’s Self-Teaching Club.

1950

Marries Ligia (Branice) Brokowska.

1953

Awarded the Polish national prize for lithography.

1954

Travels to France, where he makes an amateur film of Fernand Leger at work in his studio.

1956

Designs film posters.

1957

Collaborates with Jan Lenica on a series of short films, beginning with Był sobie raz…
Co-writes a short film about poster art, Sztuka ulicy, directed by Konstanty Gordon.

1958

Dom, his final collaboration with Lenica, is awarded the Gold Medal at the Festival of Experimental Film at the Brussels Expo.

Directs his first professional film independently of Lenica, Szkoła .

Settles in Paris.

1959

Directs Les Astronautes, credited as a collaboration with Chris Marker, for Anatole Dauman’s Argos Films.

Joins Les Cinéastes Associés.

1963

Directs Renaissance.

1964

Directs Les jeux des anges. 

1965

Mounts an exhibition of artwork, entitled Camera Obscura, at the Ranelagh in Paris.

With Dominique Duvergé , establishes his own production company, Pantaleon Films.

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1966

Directs Rosalie.

1967

Completes his first feature length film, Théâtre de M et Mme Kabal.

1968

Directs his fist live action feature film, Goto, l’île d’amour.

1971

Directs Blanche, based on Juliusz Słowacki ‘s play, Mazepa.

1973

Presents three episodes of Contes immoraux at the London Film Festival.

1974

Contes immoraux is released in French cinemas.

1975

Returns to Poland to direct an adaptation of Stefan Żeromski ‘s novel, Dzieje grzechu.

La bête is released in French cinemas.

1976

Directs Sylvia Kristel and Joe Dallesandro in an adaptation of André Pieyre de Mandiargues novel, La Marge.

Directs Brief von Paris, an experimental portrait of Paris, for West German television.

1977

Travels to Italy to direct a film inspired by Stendhal, Interno di un convento.

Produces, L’amour monstre de tous les temps, a short documentary portrait of the Serbian painter, Ljuba.

1978

Directs Les Héroïnes du mal for producer Pierre Braunberger’s Les films du jeudi.

1979

Directs Jouet Joyeux, a short animated film based on Charles–Émile Reynaud‘s praxinoscope.

1980

Inherits a West German production based on Wedekind’s Lulu plays intended for Liliana Cavani.

1981

Le cas etrange du Dr Jekyll et Miss Osbourne, a free adaptation of Stevenson’s novel, is released in French cinemas.

1984

Makes his final animated film, Scherzo Infernal.

1988

Directs his final feature film, Ceremonie d’amour, based on a novel by Pieyre de Mandiargues.

1990

Exhibition of sculptures at Artcurial, part of a celebration of Pieyre de Mandiargues.

He gets French citizenship on February 12, 1990

1992

Publishes a collection of short stories, L’anatomie du diable.

Works on a book for children, Dumb Animals.

1997

Exhibition of painting and sculptures at the Annecy Museum.

2006

Dies in Marly-le-Roi on February 3.