Prof. Piotr Oczko passed away on 15 July 2026 at the age of 53. A specialist in Dutch culture, art historian, and literary scholar, Oczko was a professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and had been an associate member of CODART since 2013.

Born in 1973, Oczko graduated from the Jagiellonian University in both English and Polish language studies. In 2004, he joined the university’s Faculty of Polish Studies. His research focused on early modern Dutch culture, literature, and material art, with a particular emphasis on the historical links and cultural transfer between the Low Countries and Poland. He conducted extensive research at academic institutions in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Canterbury, Leiden, London, Nijmegen, Prague, and Utrecht.

Oczko was a prolific scholar, publishing 26 books—including ten monographs—and more than one hundred academic articles. His major publications concerning Dutch art, material culture, and literature include:

• W najdroższej Holandyjej… Szkice o siedemnastowiecznym dramacie i kulturze niderlandzkiej (In Dearest Holland… Essays on 17th-Century Dutch Drama and Culture) (2001)
• Miotła i krzyż. Kultura sprzątania w dawnej Holandii, albo historia pewnej obsesji (The Broom and the Cross: The Culture of Cleaning in Early Holland, or the History of a Certain Obsession) (2013, republished in Dutch in 2020)
• Holenderskie flizy na dawnych ziemiach polskich i ościennych (Dutch Wall Tiles in Historic Polish and Neighboring Lands) (2016) – a comprehensive study on the distribution and reception of Delftware tiles in Central Europe, which was previewed in this CODARTfeature.
• Pocztówka z Mokum. 21 opowieści o Holandii (Postcard from Mokum: 21 Stories of the Netherlands) (2019)

In recognition of his contributions to the study and promotion of Dutch cultural heritage in Poland, Oczko was appointed a Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau by the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2024.

In March 2026, he received the Kazimierz Wyka Award, a prestigious Polish literary distinction, for his lifetime achievement in essay writing. The jury highlighted his 2024 publication, Suknia i sztalugi. Historie dawnych malarek (Gown and Easel: Stories of Early Female Painters), which examines the history and reception of early modern women artists.

CODART extends its sincere condolences to his family, colleagues, and students.