The Lenkiewicz Foundation extends a special welcome to users of lenkiewicz.org

This year will be a turning point in the history of The Lenkiewicz Foundation. The legacy of work by Robert Lenkiewicz is passing from the artist’s Estate to the charity (most of which can be seen at Plymouth City Museum until 11 July) and the Estate will be wound up, leaving TLF in control of its own affairs at long last. The charity is hoping to open its own exhibition rooms in Plymouth later in the year and to set up an educational archive based on the life and work of the painter.

TLF are also reaching out to enthusiasts for Robert’s work in an effort to ensure that the charity is responsive to the wishes of its core audience. The re-launched ‘Friends of The Lenkiewicz Foundation’ aims to provide a forum for those interested in Lenkiewicz’s legacy, where like-minded people can meet for informal discussion or enjoy programmed educational events that will hopefully deepen everyone’s appreciation of the artist.

In the spirit of this democratic engagement with its audience, the Friends will enjoy constitutional rights, including the right to send a representative to the Annual General Meetings of the charity, where they can participate in the election of trustees, etc. The charity has also signalled its intention to draw on the expertise and commitment of its supporters by inviting nominations for trustees from any interested quarter.

On Saturday 16 May, the Friends and absolutely anyone with an interest in things Lenkiewicz will be welcomed at Delamore House, near Cornwood, for an informal  gathering to chat about the future of the legacy, or just to enjoy the idyllic surroundings or the wine and food provided by event sponsor Edmond Davari (proprietor of Zucca! and Souk).  The splendid house, built in 1859, hosts a permanent art exhibition and the picturesque grounds include a sculpture park.

Admission for Friends who have paid their subscription is FREE, but anyone wishing to come along can pay a £5 entrance fee, which is refundable if they later decide to become a member. To reserve your place or to find out more, just e-mail TLF at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it (Please note that you must inform TLF in advance if you are going so that sufficient wine & food can be laid on!).

In this decisive year, when many aspects of the future of The Lenkiewicz Foundation are still to be decided, you can be part of that decision making process. So whether you’re interested in the grand strategy or just want to get the latest gossip, please see the show at Plymouth City Museum and come to Delamore House — from here on, the future of the legacy is what we, and you, make of it.

The Lenkiewicz Foundation

Museum exhibition to showcase the legacy of Lenkiewicz

A new exhibition of works by Robert Lenkiewicz, which opens at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery on Wednesday 8 April, will present the first ever showing of the legacy of artistic works that the artist bequeathed to the Lenkiewicz Foundation upon his death in 2002.

‘Lenkiewicz: The Legacy’ will be on display at Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery from 8 April to 11 July. The exhibition will be open from 10am to 5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Bank Holiday Mondays. Admission is free. For enquiries and further information visit www.plymouthmuseum.gov.uk, call 01752 304774 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

UPDATE 18 APRIL: TLF has made a press release on the censoring of the exhibition. The press release is published in full in the News section of this site.

There are automatic, target-searching "bots" (presumably short for "robots") constantly patrolling Internet, searching for sites with registration facility. They find a site, then register a user, and so they can start posting spam and perhaps do other harm. In the two days the site has been open, already half a dozen such registrations have occurred. They have had IP-addresses in Moldavia and Russia. I have deleted those user accounts. If you have tried to register in the last few days but failed, it could be that your registration showed an IP-address that looked questionable to me, so I therefore deleted it. Please try again, and chose a user name that makes reasonable sense (the bots produce nonsense names).

Thanks and good luck! 

Dear Lenkiewicz fans and critics

It is my hope that .org will now be functional again. Please never ask me about the trials and tribulations that caused the site to be “frozen” for several months. Leaving that behind, I now invite all old and new members to the site. Much has happened in the Lenkiewicz world since the forum was open for postings. If you share your views with all of us, .org can again be a place for the “provocation of thought”.

The Lenkiewicz Book Project will also re-open in the near future. The site is there to visit, but it is not now open to posting. I welcome your ideas for the future of the project.

Imho, there is no doubt whatsoever that Robert Lenkiewicz was an extrordinary person and an artist worth far more attention than is paid today. Active fora where people taking an interest in Lenkiewicz can express their ideas and opinions are needed to keep that interest alive and well.  With your help, the .org forum can be vital in that process.

Thanks for your patience,

Lars

Rather than seeing these sites shut down, I took the difficult decision to act to preserve them. Not as active sites at present, but as 'frozen' sites. They are veritable gold mines for all of us who have an interest in the life and work of Robert Lenkiewicz.

There is no way I can replace Dave, and there is no way I can maintain the sites as active fora. For the time being, they should be regarded as encyclopedic but inactive resources. Some will support my decision, and others will criticize it, but I felt that a shut-down would have been the worst scenario. My hope is that the new site of TLF will fill some of the void created. In time, the need for an interactive site may lead to the reopening of .org and LBP or to the creation of similar sites. I will certainly discuss that issue with all parties that may have an interest in the matter.

Meanwhile, please go and see the Self Portrait exhibition, it's fantastic. If you can't go, the book is an excellent substitute. Take care.

Postscript 3 October 2008: To those who wonder what will happen next, I can only say that I will do my best to revive LBP and .org with as many original functions as possible. There will inevitably be changes, and the transformation will take some time. The timing of this event was not ideal, since I'm going abroad for ten days tomorrow. Work on the sites will start on my return.

If you have by now digested the Self Portraits, why not go and see the seven Lenkiewics lots at Sotheby's in the sale of 8 October? 

The situation 6 November 2008: After several people have spent a stunning amount of time trying to get the sites up and working, it turns out that the new host One.com is incapable of hosting the sites (way too many complications to be enumerated here), and we will have to find another host. Once again the sites will be closed, hopefully for only a short time. Patience is a virtue, especially when there's no option.

10 January 2009: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the transfer of the domains back to the original host had to be postponed. It will now (hopefully!) be completed by the end of January. After that, the sites should be back with most or all functions intact. I am as anxious as you to see this done.

It is with some regret that I announce that both lenkiewicz.org and The Lenkiewicz Book Project will be closing on 30 September 2008.

This decision has not been taken lightly. There is no one specific reason or event that has precipitated the decision (although the launch of TLF's new web site has made it easier). It is simply that I have grown increasingly tired of the constant bickering, personal agendas, vendettas and axe-grinding that have been an ever-present feature of lenkiewicz.org (and my inbox) over the past 5 years. Life is simply too short for me to choose to bring all this crap into mine.

I should stress that there are other reasons too, but it is the one above that makes the case for the others that much more compelling.

Anybody wishing to archive the textual content of the Lenkiewicz Book Project can do so by going to www.robertlenkiewicz.org/book/export/html/131 and saving the page to their PC.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have contributed to the sites in the past, and those who have supported me in my efforts.

If there is anybody who would like to purchase either of the domain names or lenkiewicz.org as an active site, please This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Estelle Lovatt will be reviewing the Ben Uri exhibition of Lenkiewicz self portraits on BBC Radio 2's The Weekender , Friday 3rd October, 10pm – midnight.