Henryk Tomaszewski was born in Warsaw, Poland on June 10, 1914, to a family of musicians.

During World War II and the Nazi occupation of Poland, Tomaszewski earned a living through his painting, drawings, and woodcuts which were later destroyed during the Warsaw Uprising.

[1][2][3] His work was also part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

[5][6] Tomaszewski was the father of acclaimed contemporary Polish graphic artist Filip Pagowski.

[1] He died on September 11, 2005, in Warsaw, Poland of progressive nerve degeneration.