A Polish-American sculptor, Andrzej Pityński passed away on 18 September 2020.
In the United States, he was known as the author of monument sculptures and was a member of the National Sculpture Society.
For over 30 years, Pityński lectured at the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture in Mercerville.
Through his works, and their historical and patriotic context, he became "Ambassador of Poland’s History" in the USA. Andrzej Pityński created a number of monumental memorials, the magnitude of which are suggestive as well as symbolic. Almost all stand in the United States, but a few can be found in Poland.
His artistic path in America began with a sculpture of Artur Rubinstein, for which he was awarded by the Mayor of New York. Among his renowned masterpieces are "Partisans" in Boston (1983), "Maria Curie-Skłodowska" in Bayonne (1987), "Sarmata" in Morris Museum, "Jerzy Popiełuszko" in Trenton (1987), Pope John Paul II in Manhattan and Ulanów (1989), "The Avenger" in Doylestown, Pennsylvania (1988), "Katyn 1940" in Jersey City (1991), and "Monument of the Blue Army" in Warsaw (2002). Pityński also made a bust of General Władysław Anders at the Museum Historiale in Cassino.
A remarkable piece in his artistic career is "Katyn 1940". This monument is cast in bronze and, together with a granite pedestal weighing 60 tons, it is 11 meters high. It is the first memorial in the US commemorating the Polish victims of the Katyn Massacre. The memorial is in a unique location overlooking the Manhattan skyline. After the WTC had been attacked on 11 September 2001, a commemorative plaque was put into the pedestal of the monument with an inscriptions honoring the victims.
After several attempts to move the monument to another location in 2018, the City Council resolved that it would stand at Exchange Place on the right of perpetual usufruct.
There is a museum of the artist in his hometown in Ulanów, southeastern Poland. In 2018 the IPN prepared an exhibition “Andrzej Pityński – Ambassador of the Polish History in the Photos by Czesław Czaplinski” which was presented in Warsaw.
On 11 November 2017, President of Poland Andrzej Duda awarded Andrzej Pityński with the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest order, for his outstanding contribution to the Polish culture.