Eryk Lipiński Museum of Caricature, Warsaw

The Eryk Lipiński Museum of Caricature (Polish: Muzeum Karykatury im. Eryka Lipińskiego) is a specialized art museum in Warsaw, Poland, dedicated to the collection, preservation, and exhibition of caricature, satirical graphics, and related art forms. Founded in 1978 by the Polish graphic artist, journalist, and scenographer Eryk Lipiński, it remains the country's principal institution devoted to this genre. The museum holds particular significance as both a repository of Polish and international satirical art and as an open research archive for scholars of caricature history. Its reputation extends beyond Poland, having been featured in a 2015 Guardian list of Europe's most notable lesser-known museums.

The museum was established on 15 September 1978 as a branch of the Adam Mickiewicz Museum of Literature, with Eryk Lipiński serving as its founding director, a position he held until his death in 1991. In its earliest phase, the institution lacked dedicated premises, exhibitions, office space, or storage facilities. Lipiński initially displayed works from his own private collection, supplemented by gifts from fellow artists and collectors, often staging shows at the Literature Museum or in borrowed private rooms. His efforts to build the collection during this five-year period were supported by his membership in the Polish United Workers' Party. The museum gained independence from the Literature Museum in 1983, when it also moved to its permanent location and became a standalone public institution funded by the state. At that time, the collection numbered approximately 2,500 works; it has since grown to over 25,000 pieces.

The museum's holdings encompass more than 20,000 works by Polish and foreign artists, spanning graphics, paintings, and photographs with an emphasis on satire. The oldest piece in the collection dates to the 18th century. The archive functions as an open resource available to anyone researching the history of caricature. Because of spatial constraints, the museum does not maintain a permanent display; instead, it organizes rotating temporary exhibitions drawn from its extensive holdings.

The collection includes works by major historical and contemporary figures in caricature and satirical art. Among the represented Polish artists are Franciszek Kostrzewski, Kazimierz Sichulski, Jerzy Zaruba, Maja Berezowska, Andrzej Krauze, Zbigniew Lengren, and Andrzej Mleczko, as well as the museum's founder Eryk Lipiński. International artists represented include William Hogarth, Honoré Daumier, Jean Effel, Herbert Sandberg, and Roland Topor. Additional Polish artists in the collection include Julian Bohdanowicz, Antoni Chodorowski, Jerzy Flisak, Kazimierz Grus, Szymon Kobyliński, Edward Lutczyn, Jan Piotr Norblin, Andrzej Podulka, Juliusz Puchalski, Szczepan Sadurski, Henryk Sawka, Zbigniew Ziomecki, and Zygmunt Zaradkiewicz. The German artist Daniel Chodowiecki and the collective Ha-Ga are also represented.

The museum is housed in an 18th-century orangery at Kozia Street 11, near Warsaw's Old Town and the Krakowskie Przedmieście thoroughfare. The building originally formed part of the Prymas Castle (Primas-Palast). When the museum relocated there in 1983, the structure required extensive renovation, which was carried out with the participation of museum staff. The first exhibition in the new premises opened on 27 October 1983 under the title "The Best Works in the Collections of the Museum of Caricature" (Najlepsze prace w zbiorach Muzeum Karykatury). The converted orangery offers limited space, containing only two exhibition rooms, which directly determines the museum's practice of rotating temporary shows rather than maintaining a fixed display.

The Eryk Lipiński Museum of Caricature is located at Kozia 11 in central Warsaw, within walking distance of the Old Town and Krakowskie Przedmieście. It operates as a public institution financed by the state. Visitors should note that there is no permanent exhibition; the museum presents changing temporary exhibitions selected from its holdings. The museum maintains a website at muzeumkarykatury.pl, available in Polish and English, and its archives remain accessible to researchers and the general public interested in the history of caricature.