Jerzy Kenar

Born on January 19, 1948, in the town of Iwonicz-Zdrój, he left Poland permanently in 1973 for Sweden after quitting the State Higher School of Fine Arts.^[1] In 1979, he emigrated to the United States, where he opened the Wooden Gallery in Chicago in 1980.

This gallery is currently a cultural hub for Chicago's Polonia, hosting many exhibits, shows and meetings with many famous figures. His career soared in the mid-1990s with his commissions to decorate Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, which houses a number of his pieces, and the city's Harold Washington Library. He has done work for a number of churches in the Chicago area, such as the interior design for St. Constance in Jefferson Park, wooden artwork for St. Kevin in South Deering,^[2] as well as the Millennium Doors for one of Chicago's 'Polish Cathedrals', Holy Trinity Church. He is also a generous patron of Chicago's art scene.

Jerzy opened Studio Kenar in 1985, which contained many of his famous artworks.^[3]