During the 'golden age' of the Cybis studio's production (1960s and 1970s) their pieces were regularly chosen to be official Gifts of State from our country to foreign dignitaries. Presidents Nixon and Ford were particularly fond of doing so, in fact, but in reality that process doesn't begin in the Oval Office. So where does [...]
A sports theme probably isn't the first that comes to mind when thinking about Cybis porcelains but in fact they did produce more than a dozen pieces in that genre. Two of them were special commissions but the others were available at retail. Some were human figures and others were animals; however, only one of [...]
The small white bisque medallion originally designed to accent the facing page of the Cybis Folio One collection of Native American lithographs was given several subsequent 'second lives' as a separate retail item. This medallion design is a rendition of the Comanche 'Indomitable Spirit' portrait drawing by Boleslaw Cybis. At the time of issue of [...]
The only non-porcelain retail offering from the Cybis studio was a 1970s art issue called the Folio One. This was a limited edition reproduction series taken from nine conté drawings of Native Americans made by Boleslaw Cybis in 1939. Conté is the name of a type of crayon made of compressed charcoal or graphite mixed [...]
One of the most ambitious porcelain works by the post-1950s Cybis studio was also perhaps their most unusual. This is the elaborate chess set that was first created during the 1970s, although there were actually three versions produced over the course of the next two decades. The story of the Cybis Chess Set began in [...]
As befits America’s oldest* porcelain art studio, Cybis produced 17 sculptures that celebrated the history and patriotism of the United States. Some were portraits, some were representations of our national bird, and some were giftware items. They appear below in order of retail introduction within each of those categories. Portraits The first Cybis patriotic portrait [...]
Wedding-themed items were relative latecomers to the Cybis retail lineup, not making their appearance until almost the end of the 1980s, with one exception which is noted under 'Wedding Giftware.' The Wedding Party The first Cybis bridal sculpture appeared in 1987, confusingly titled 50th Anniversary Bride. Standing a bit over 12" high, she was offered [...]
Angels and cherubs emerged from the Cybis studio ever since its earliest days in 1940s New York where Boleslaw and Marja Cybis created their frescoes and sculptures. The angels below are listed chronologically. None of them were limited editions. An intriguing group of six angels produced between 1940 and 1942 in “papka” composition was the [...]
Although known far less for their plaques and decorative plates than for sculptures, the Cybis studio nevertheless did produce a few during every decade of their operation. Most date from the 1970s and 1980s. (The early-1970s series of Limnettes® have their own separate post.) The earliest mention of Cybis porcelain plaques is in the 1970-71 [...]
Euterpe, the Greek muse of song and music, certainly inspired the artists of Cybis at various times during the past decades (her compatriot Terpsichore is reflected in their ballet sculptures.) Their first two such studies were both limited editions that appeared in 1967 but reflected very different musical genres. This evocative study of Arturo Toscanini’s [...]
THE CYBIS ARCHIVE 