Abstract
In this essay, I discuss the story of the art of Magdalena Abakanowcz as a genesis of a new world. The scale of her work is grand and its vision is appropriate to nothing less than a creation of new stars and planets. When I was director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London, I invited her to hold her first exhibition in England in 1975. That was still the time when she was continuing to make her hanging Abakans made of wool, twine, fiber and string. This essay came much later, of course, and deals with her progress towards figures and crowds and different materials.
She liked it, I was delighted.
Notes
1 This essay was published originally in: Magdalena Abakanowicz, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Oriel Mostyn Llandudno on the occasion of her touring exhibition in UK, 1995–1996; and then in Konteksty, no. 3–4, 2006, with a response from Magdalena.
2 Établissement public pour l’aménagement de la Région de la Défense.
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Notes on contributors
Jasia Reichardt
Jasia Reichardt is a writer on art and an exhibition organizer. She was born in Poland, educated in England and has lived in London most of her life. She was Assistant Director of the ICA in London, 1963–71, and Director of the Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1974–76, where Magdalena Abakanowicz exhibited for the first time in England in 1975. Jasia followed Magdalena’s work for many years, spent a lot of time with her in Warsaw and in London, contributed introductions to her catalogues, and wrote several articles about her work.