Probus Barczewski was a landlord from Ukraine, who in 1884 as the last one in his dynasty donated 50 000 Austro-Hungarian guldens to the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Part of this quote was used as a prize for outstanding historical and artistic works. The fund named after Probus Barczewski existed since 1886 to 1939. Here are the names of some winners of this prize:
- Jan Matejko
- Jacek Malczewski
- Stanisław Wyspiański
- Wojciech Kossak
- Józef Mehoffer
The committee that was choosing the winner was publishing the result if their work focusing mostly on the lists of those who didn’t receive an award and the reasons why they didn’t deserve it. Their reports became quite popular among artists but mostly as a source of jokes.