The 1980s marked a transitory period for Beksinski. This was his best-known period, during which Zdzislaw created very disturbing images, showing a gloomy, surrealistic environment with very detailed scenes of death, decay, landscapes filled with skeletons, deformed figures and deserts. In the late 1960s, the painter entered what he himself called his 'fantastic period', which lasted up to the mid-1980s. In 1964, Zdzislaw Beksinski held one his most successful exhibitions, during which all his paintings were sold. Zdzislaw started his career as a photographer and later he became a draughtsman, graphic artist and painter.

During the late 1990s, Zdzislaw Beksinski focused on digital photography and photo manipulation, the mediums, that he worked with until his death. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the painter focused on monumental or sculpture-like images, rendered in a restricted and often subdued colour palette. Also, at that time, Zdzislaw achieved significant popularity in Western Europe, the United States and Japan. During this time, his works became popular in France due to the endeavors of Piotr Dmochowski.

The fantastic art of beksinski