Have you ever heard of Wanda Chodasiewicz or Nadia Léger? Or maybe Madame Grabowska, Bauquier or Petrova? All these names refer to one painter – today barely remembered.

The protagonist of today’s article had a lifelong identity problem. She was Polish, Russian, a French citizen and finally Belarusian. She married three times and used at least five different surnames. She also changed her first names: she was Wanda, Nadzieja, and then Nadia. As an artist she practised completely different, sometimes opposing styles of painting. Still, she played a significant part in Polish art history.

Wandeczka – Strzemiński’s student

She was born as Wanda Chodasiewiczówna on 23rd September 1904 at a home farm in Osetishche (part of modern-day Belarus). She was educated at the Alexandrian Institute for Noble Ladies in Tambov and the local girls’ gymnasium; in 1918 she started evening courses in drawing and painting at the Palace of Arts in Belyov. Finally, around 1920, she left for Smolensk, where she continued her education at IZO-studio – an art atelier at the local education department. In fact, IZO-studio was a branch of a group called UNOVIS (Champions of New Art), established by Kazimir Malevich in February 1920; its members included Katarzyna Kobro and Władysław Strzemiński.

Wandeczka, a