Magdalena ABAKANOWICZ (1930-2017)

Magdalena ABAKANOWICZ (1930-2017) "Sawmill", Tapestry. 200 x 100 cm Reference: Our tapestry was made especially for Ms. Gerber when the artist came to Switzerland for the Biennale de la Tapisserie, at the instigation of visionary gallerists Pierre and Alice Pauli (resp. Ms. Gerber's uncle and aunt). Provenance: Collection of Mrs. Michèle H. Gerber, Sierre Note: Abakanowicz (1930-2017), ) is a major artist of 20th-century textile art and sculpture. Present at the Biennale internationale de la tapisserie de Lausanne from 1962, she marked the 1960s and 1970s with original works, using organic fibers to create weavings, relief tapestries, soft sculptures, moldings, knottings and drawings. His work, inspired by nature, gained international recognition in the 1980s with monumental installations in plant fibers, bronze, stone and steel. Lausanne has played a key role in his career, thanks to the Biennales de la tapisserie, exhibitions organized by Pierre and Alice Pauli, and the support of collectors in French-speaking Switzerland. In terms of technique, Magdalena's approach to weaving, inspired by the nature and texture of the threads she uses (sisal, wool, linen), calls out to us, as she claims total creative freedom. Her radical approach won her a Gold Medal in the applied arts section of the 8th São Paulo Art Biennial. She won recognition from professionals and collectors alike. From 1967 onwards, Abakanowicz began to create mural works in which contours and structures further accentuate the organic aspect of the weave. Alice Pauli organized Abakanowicz's first solo exhibition at her gallery in Lausanne, a partnership that continued until 1985, when she exhibited ten times at the prestigious Lausanne gallery. Disconcerted by the enigmatic nature of the artist's work, an art critic coined the term "Abakan" in 1964, inspired by her name. Abakanowicz subsequently adopted this term to designate his large-scale three-dimensional creations. His work, which transcends the boundaries of craft and the applied arts, encourages us to reconsider soft weaves as autonomous works of art.