EducationalPlatform ofthe AspektyGallery
In a tender space - Polish women sculptors of the 20th century
In a tender space - Polish women sculptors of the 20th century
A selection of Polish women artists of the 20th century who changed thinking about sculpture and broadened its definition.
It is puzzling that Polish modern sculpture has been so strongly marked by the work of women. It was they, starting with Katarzyna Kobro, who revolutionized the perception of sculpture - from a compact mass, they transformed it into a light spatial composition and an installation open to its surroundings. Women - such as Alina Szapocznikow, Magdalena Abakanowicz and Maria Pinińska-Bereś - also introduced unusual materials into sculpture: synthetic materials, fibers and fabrics. Despite this, Polish female sculptors remained in the shadow of men for a long time, and the art of most of them was appreciated only after their deaths. A discussion of the work of seven leading Polish women sculptors, along with characteristic examples of their works, was prepared by Agata Malodobry, curator of the sculpture collection at the National Museum in Cracow.
Katarzyna Kobro (1898-1951)
Daughter of a German and a Russian, she studied in Moscow, but spent her entire adult life in Poland. One of the most important artists of the 20th century avant-garde. She emphasized the coexistence of sculpture and surrounding space based on mathematical calculations. She preached that the entire human environment should be designed according to space-time rhythms. A member of the groups Blok, Praesens, a-r.
Barbara Zbrożyna (1923-1995)
Sculptor, poet, social activist. After a brief Socialist Realist episode, she turned to sculptural figuration based on organic curves, and in her later period her style was characterized by expression and metaphorical treatment of her subject matter.
Wanda Czełkowska (1930-2021)
Sculptor, began with figures of archaizing style, inspired by prehistoric art and non-European cultures. A characteristic motif of Czełkowska's subsequent decades of work is the head, often deformed, multiplied, used as an element of spatial installations. Czełkowska questioned the definition of sculpture, shifting its meaning from the notion of shape toward spatial and conceptual action.
Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930-2017)
Reformer of artistic textiles: author of monumental woven spatial compositions named abacanas after her; sculptor, creator of large installations in open space. A recurring motif in her art is that of a numerous group of similar headless figures, modeled from jute or cast in iron.
Maria Pinińska-Bereś (1931-1999)
Sculptor and actionist. Her artistic work revolves around the issue of femininity suppressed by social conditions and tradition. In her works she ironically or humorously subverts stereotypes about women and boldly explores erotic themes. As a sculptor, she strived to make her works weightless, so she created them from sponge covered with fabric. The pink color she uses has a feminist message.
![[EN] alt](/_astro/malodobry.cIQAzz2e_ZS1XWK.webp)
Agata Małodobry
Art historian and museologist. Curator in the Department of Contemporary Art at the National Museum in Krakow, where she deals with sculpture. She is interested in the impact of sculpture in social space and the place of Polish sculpture in the context of world art. Her other fascination is geometric abstraction. She is a curator of exhibitions and author of scientific and popularizing publications on 20th and 21st century art. A special place in her activity is occupied by the person and work of Maria Jarema.