The Muzeum Kolekcji im. Jana Pawła II in Warsaw arose out of the private gift of one famiły. In 1986, Janina and Zbigniew Carroll-Porczynski donated a rich collection of Western European art, amounting to almost 400 paintings and sculptures which had been assembled over many years, to the Church and the Nation. In the following years they enlarged the gift by over 50
paintings and sculptures.
The collection gathered by the Porczynskis was initially exhibited at the Museum of the Archdiocese of Warsaw, and then, in 1989, upon the basis of an agreement between the two founders, the Primate of Poland and the Minister of Arts and Culture, it was established as a separate museum. The authorities of the capital city, Warsaw, granted the use of the historical Bank of Poland building, which was built between 1825-1829 in accordance with the design of the prominent architect Antonio Corazzi, for the purpose of exhibiting the collection. From its very beginning until the present time, the Museum was and is maintained from funds donated to Fundacja Arteks [a Polish charitable foundation] by Janina and Zbigniew Carroll-Porczynski.