Józef Czapski ( April 3 , 1896 &ndash; January 12 , 1993 ) was a Polish artist , author , and critic , as well as an officer of the Polish Army . As a painter , he is notable for his membership in the Kapist movement , which was heavily influenced by Cézanne . Following the Polish Defensive War , he was made a prisoner of war by the Soviets and was among the very few officers to survive the Katyn massacre of 1940 . Following the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement , he was an official envoy of the Polish government searching for the missing Polish officers in Russia . After World War II , he remained in exile in the Paris suburb of Maisons-Laffitte , where he was among the founders of '' Kultura '' monthly , one of the most influential Polish cultural journals of the 20th century
Katyn massacre
Katyn massacre
Józef Czapski