Zdzisław Beksiński (24 February 1929 – 21 February 2005) was a Polish who's childhood was defined by WWII. He studied architecture before teaching himself how to paint.

His life was marked by tragedy: his son attempted suicide multiple times before succeeding on Christmas Eve of 1999—the year following the death of Zdzisław's wife. He experimented with photomanipulation until his murder in 2005, when he was stabbed 17 times for refusing to lend a sum of about $100 to an acquaintance of his.

Although Beksiński's art was often grim, he himself was known to be a pleasant person who took enjoyment from conversation and had a keen sense of humor. He was modest and somewhat shy, avoiding public events such as the openings of his own exhibitions. He credited music as his main source of inspiration. He claimed not to be much influenced by literature, cinema or the work of other artists, and almost never visited museums or exhibitions. Beksiński avoided concrete analysis of the content of his work, saying "I cannot conceive of a sensible statement on painting". He was especially dismissive of those who sought or offered simple answers to what his work 'meant'.