Revisited and rediscovered 12 female visual artists of the 20th century.

Exploring the tactile potential of sculptural forms by immersing oneself in sensory experiences that transcend visual perception opens up a sphere of possibilities for interaction with a work of art. This method allows us to perceive the haptics of matter, especially in the context of the often overlooked female artistic expression. In a patriarchal capitalist society largely influenced by a male perspective, women’s activities were often ignored or downplayed, leading to their contributions to sculpture and textile art not being recognized within the established artistic canon. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, artists of the renowned Bauhaus school such as Gunta Stölzl, Otti Berger and Marianne Brandt revolutionized the approach to the processing of different fabrics, challenging consolidated social norms. The pioneering exploration of textiles is the result of the artists’ involvement in the issues of discrimination against women, which also took place in that progressive institution where the creative contributions of women were marginalized. Despite the patriarchal system, the power of artistic expression of female creativity has emerged through radical and liberatory performative artistic interventions as a way to transcend the boundaries of imposed reality. In Poland, after the Second World War, during the period of socialist realism, artistic and feminist activities were still neglected and marginalized in the national art scene. In the 1960s, female artists began to experiment with unconventional materials in their performance interventions, introducing innovative techniques into their artistic practice such as organic and metallic elements, going beyond traditional textile associations. Thus was born the Polish Textile School, a group of post-war artists who changed the perception of textile art in Europe, drawing inspiration from Polish kilims and folk textile traditions. The contemporary discipline of sculpture has been significantly influenced by body art and Alina Szapocznikow’s exploration of corporeality. Artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz have pioneered the sculptural treatment of fabric, using a subtle expressive language, weaving, creating soft, sculptural hybrid forms that redefine the use of artistic fabric. As women artists sought to liberate textiles from commercialization and challenge the constraints imposed by the political system, they also faced an ongoing battle to assert their subjectivity within the art world and maintain their position as professional visual artists. In this context, rereading their work from a feminist perspective has undoubtedly contributed to re-evaluating their work in a new interpretative key. Some artists, appropriating everyday materials, explored the affective dimension of matter, moving fluidly between the influences of figurative and abstract art, experimenting with the bridge between the legacy of classical and avant-garde art. Following Lucy Lippard’s vision of minimalism, many artists have intuitively sought to move away from traditional forms, prioritizing concepts over their visual representation, playing with figurative elements or abandoning them in favor of abstract forms or conceptual ideas.

Sara Lipska (1882-1973) 

Sara Lipska was a versatile and enigmatic artist known for her contributions as a set and costume designer alongside Leon Bakht and Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, which had a major impact on the avant-garde art of the time. After studying with Xawery Dunikowski at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw and moving to Paris, she immersed herself in stage design projects, drawing on Russian folklore and Eastern decorative styles, incorporating embroidery, bright colors and ornamental motifs. Her modernist creations showcased innovative techniques such as whip stitch on appliqué, abstract motifs reminiscent of Persian miniature art, and rhythmic cubist designs. Adapting to changing trends and the evolving roles of women in society, Lipska embraced a newfound sense of liberation that sparked her artistic imagination. Expert in dressmaking, she fearlessly experimented with unconventional materials such as glass, wood, ceramic and plaster, incorporating them intricately into her diverse canvases. In the 1920s she moved into fashion design in Paris and in 1928 she founded her own studio in the prestigious Portiques shopping center on the Champs-Elysées. She later branched out into painting, advertising and sculptural forms. Lipska’s creative activities included interior design, theatrical costumes, and decorative objects composed of intricate patterns and sumptuous embellishments. She often used jewels and wire to model three-dimensional shapes in bas-relief. Today, Lipska’s artistic legacy lives on through the collections of the Musée National d’Art Moderne Center Pompidou and the Musées de Poitiers in France, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

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Maria Papa Rostkowska (1923-2008)

Maria Papa Rostkowska’s artistic path was shaped by the tumultuous events of the Second World War and her experiences outside Poland. Unlike her contemporaries who favored plaster, she chose to work in the challenging medium of marble. Papa Rostkowska skillfully used traditional Renaissance carving tools and modern electric grinders in her creative process. Subsequently, she founded a studio in Pietrasanta, Italy, where she honed her craft in carving Carrara marble, fusing classical artistic methodologies with a deep knowledge of stone materials and carving techniques. Despite the inherent weight of the material and her abstract approach, Papa Rostkowska skillfully imbued her creations with a sense of fluidity, reshaping the stone into biomorphic, corporeal, almost organic forms that defied rigid classifications while accentuating the sensuality of the material . Her marble sculptures, particularly her depictions of classical female figures, explore themes of tenderness and motherhood and exude a subtle grace reminiscent of sculptures of ancient Greek goddesses. Through various innovations, she delved into the tactile nature of marble, incorporating pink hues from Syrian and Portuguese marble, as well as producing gilt bronze pieces directly from her works in precious stone from Carrara. Throughout her career, she has exhibited alongside illustrious, predominantly male artists, such as Marino Marini, Joan Miró, Jean (Hans) Arp, Lucio Fontana, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst and Dadamaino. Recently, her art has gained renewed recognition, particularly in dialogue with the works of other female sculptors, featured in exhibitions at the Cortina Gallery in 2017, in 2023 at the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw, as well as in Orońsko together with the sculptures of Magdalena Więcek and Magdalena Abakanowicz.

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Wanda Czełkowska (1930–2021)

As a member of the post-war Second Kraków Group, Wanda Czełkowska pursued her unique style and opened her own artistic path. She used her early work to create figurative and expressive head casts, but since the 1960s her work has changed to such an extent that she has moved away from her initial artistic practice. This sudden and ruthless intervention in the sculptural material symbolizes the artist’s internal tension through the dismemberment and deconstruction of the bust in the key of cubist or Etruscan sculpture. Over time, her work evolved and she began to incorporate elements of brutalism through intentional cuts and direct sculptural interventions. The figures she sculpts are characterized by simplified forms and intricate textures that interact with light, embodying the living essence of the materials and showcasing the sculptor’s intense artistic expression. Over time, Czełkowska turned to abstract, monochromatic and subtle organic forms and dematerialized the concentrated form of the bust, taking a more conceptual approach to her work. The change led to the development of works such as “Table” (1971). In this work the sculpture is no longer presented in solitary form, but rather integrated into various systems, influencing the modeling of the surrounding space. At the invitation of the Edinburgh Festival in 1972, she presented a collection composed of busts, sculptures of deformed heads and panels with explanatory drawings of the speculative assumptions of the work entitled “Conceptual information on the table”. This marked a significant change in the artist’s approach to conceptual art. The artist’s conscious desire to dematerialize form, expressed in the concept of “Absolute Elimination of Sculpture”, replaced tangible matter with abstract ideas. Guided by the principles of minimalism, which involves the reduction of form, she explored the affective dimension of matter, its simultaneous activity and passivity.

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Teresa Pągowska (1926-2007) 

Teresa Pągowska was a painter who dedicated many years to teaching at the PWSSP in Gdańsk. Her participation in the Paris Youth Biennial in 1959 consolidated her reputation as an artist attuned to the tonal qualities of color. In her work, Teresa Pągowska demonstrated her exceptional sensitivity to the chromaticity of color, which she continued to explore by actively engaging in the artistic community and the renowned Sopot School. In the 1960s her artistic interests focused on distorted and rapidly rendered figures, often shown in dynamic or dance positions. Over time, figurative representations of her evolved into condensed, solitary, anonymous silhouettes, devoid of distinct individual features. The artist used abrupt tensions between shapes and uniform color contrasts, a technique that imbued her characters with ambiguity, resembling ethereal reflections. Pągowska’s paintings exude an intimate atmosphere, often tinged with eroticism, as seen in works by her such as “Intermezzo” (1984), highlighting the interplay of tensions within the depicted individuals. The artist often uses the natural texture and hue of the unprepared canvas as a background, applying painterly gestures with minimal brushstrokes. To achieve greater depth, the artist believed in rejecting the superfluous and embracing simplicity. The deliberate formal simplification aimed to enhance expressive clarity and amplify the impact of visual narrative in her works.

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Magdalena Więcek (1924–2008) 

Magdalena Więcek was a pioneering sculptor who had a significant influence on the Polish sculpture scene. The artist is renowned for creating grandiose geometric metal constructions that blend with intricate wooden sculptures. Despite her exposure to other artists and influences, she has actively engaged in independent exploration, continually experimenting with different sculptural and painting techniques. Over time she transitioned from using lightweight materials such as plaster to metal, giving her installations a sense of grandeur while preserving their lightness. Her artistic practice is distinguished by its reflection on the interaction of her works with the surrounding space, thus contributing to the discussion on the role of sculpture in urban environments. Starting from socialist realism, she explored the expressive deformation of his artistic language, creating figurative forms such as “Mother” (1955) with radical gestures marked on wood, for which she received the Critics’ Prize at the 1st Paris Youth Biennial in 1959. In 1965, together with Marian Bogusz, Więcek founded the Biennial of Spatial Forms in Elbląg. Over the course of her 50-year career, her work has evolved from creating realistic plaster and concrete sculptures to forming amorphous structures inspired by the natural environment and implementing abstract compositions that encapsulate conceptual ideas. Więcek won awards for her sculpture “Porta de la Inferno” (1979) and received the Grand Prix International de la Contemporanea d’Art Principauté de Monaco in 1981.

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Barbara Levittoux-Świderska (1933-2019)

Levittoux-Świderska dedicated her academic activity to the study of painting and textiles at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, a distinguished institution which gave birth to the School of Polish Textiles. For her, these two disciplines were complementary paths of artistic expression. Her deep love for the natural world is seamlessly intertwined with her vast knowledge of flora and fungi, which she has cultivated from a young age. Through her art, she has immersed herself in the realm of fleeting organic materials such as grass, seeds, leaves, mushrooms and twigs. In her creative process, she has elevated the traditional art of tapestry beyond simple decorative fabric, transforming it into an innovative discipline focused on avant-garde spatial installations. These sculptural creations were meticulously woven or constructed using a wide range of materials, ranging from natural fabrics such as wool to synthetic elements such as scrap metal wire, plastic and industrial debris. Characterized by their large dimensions, they are freely interconnected and composed of translucent fragments handmade with materials that transmit light and preserve their ephemeral organic essence. Her portfolio ranges from paintings and collages that incorporate drawn elements to intricate sculptures and tapestries, each imbued with a delicate charm that echoes her profound ecological values ​​and reflects intricate, organic, and willfully imperfect forms that transcend the boundaries of human existence.

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Maria Pinińska Bereś (1931-1999) 

Maria Pinińska Bereś studied at the sculpture studio of Xavery Dunikowski. In her artistic endeavors, she intricately intertwined corporeality with the negative space of objects, where both external space and everyday objects took on physical form. The spatial essence of her in her creations emerges from the soft, curved shapes that fill them, along with the symbolic incorporation of pink, a color traditionally associated with women since birth. From the beginning, Pinińska Bereś has delved into themes drawn from cultural symbolism, often layered with ambiguous meanings, such as the “Rotundy” series, which blends architectural and corporeal implications. This architectural exploration, which began in the 1960s, had symbolic weight as a gesture of resistance against patriarchal constraints. Around 1967, Pinińska-Bereś transformed her corsets into a pink banner (“Gorset V” evolved into “Sztandar-Gorset”), transforming an object intended to shape the female form into a symbol of protest against her subjugation. Through performative actions such as “Banki Mydlane” and “Aneksja Krajobrazu” in 1979, which featured the pink banner, she asserted her position in the art world and reclaimed her subjectivity. These performances often alluded to the marginalization of women’s contributions in traditional art, prompting Pinińska-Beres to abstract her personal world. By incorporating erotic references and symbols into her subversive practice, she has had a notable impact on feminist discourse in art, avoiding the commodification of women’s artistic endeavors. During periods of socio-political unrest, including the imposition of martial law in Poland, the artist replaced the pink banner with a broom and the dominant color of the works with grey, satirically underlining the institutions’ contempt for her work.

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Krystyna Wojtyna-Drouet (b. 1926)

Krystyna Wojtyna-Drouet, born in Warsaw in 1926, is recognized for her innovative approach to creating fabrics that does not rely on pre-painted sketches. Since the 1960s, she has intricately “painted” each fabric directly in her workshop, emphasizing a well-thought-out process aimed at dynamically realizing a clear vision rather than relying on improvisation. She perceives fabric as a distinctive form of expression, distinct from painting or drawing. While crafting her pieces, she avoids a painterly technique, believing that duplicating images on tapestries is unnecessary. Wojtyna-Drouet draws inspiration from emotions and shared experiences with others. The foundational compositional principles she follows, such as verticals, horizontals, and the interplay of soft and sharp forms, are predetermined, ensuring harmony with the warp yarns’ natural rhythm. Bringing her ideas to fruition necessitates dynamic intervention on the loom, with her accomplishments enhancing the gratification derived from the creative process itself. In terms of materials, she incorporates sisal, raffia, artificial fibers, and thick, hand-spun wool, which afforded Wojtyna-Drouet considerable creative liberty. In the meantime, she also mastered traditional dyeing techniques employing natural dyes, predominantly plant based. By dyeing wool, she wields complete authority over the color palette, yielding fabrics with vibrant, light-reflecting hues that imbue her creations with depth.

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Teresa Tyszkiewicz (1953-2020)

Teresa Tyszkiewicz was a versatile artist who worked in multiple mediums, including photography, experimental film, drawing, performance, painting, spatial objects, and sculpture. Her artistic path began in the early 1970s within the neo-avant-garde movement, but she later deviated from this path to delve deeper into the exploration of the intimate experiences of the female body. She creates intuitively, sensually and emotionally. As time passed, Tyszkiewicz broadened her artistic horizons by delving into video and editing techniques, continually pushing the boundaries of her creativity. Her avant-garde films, particularly “Grain,” are notable for their fusion of metallic and natural elements such as pins, fibers, earth and vegetation. In her work, she has engaged in experiences in which she engages her body in processes such as manipulation, rubbing, pouring, and screwing. By piercing canvases, photographs and materials with pins, she examines the materiality and impermanence of reality, incorporating her own identity and body into her artistic expression. The act of sticking pins into fabric serves as a deeply personal and cathartic ritual for Tyszkiewicz, allowing her to overcome the trauma resulting from the difficult realities she has encountered as an artist. The repetitive gestures of fixing and layering hardened paint and fabric onto the canvases evoke a tactile and almost instinctive response from the viewer, transcending mere visual perception. In her performances, Tyszkiewicz places emphasis on live interventions that involve direct interaction with the audience. Through these shows, she emphasizes clear communication with viewers, decoding symbols and promoting a vivid and engaging experience for all participants.

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Feliza Bursztyn (1933-1982) 

Feliza Bursztyn has become known as a visionary artist who is not afraid to explore boundaries with her subversive and ironic works, often tinged with satire. Through her sculptural efforts she left an indelible mark on the art world, boldly challenging entrenched power dynamics and confronting the conservative sensibilities of the Colombian upper class in the 1960s. Her artistic journey began by fashioning works of art out of welding waste from local factories and auto repair shops in Bogota, propelling her to international success. Her works, such as “Chattaras” (Garbage, Garbage) and the “Las Histericas” series (1967-1968), were always rich in symbolic meaning, establishing Feliza Bursztyn as a pioneer of kinetic art in Colombia. The artist’s sculptural forms were notable for incorporating fragments of industrial waste that were imbued with a performative quality characterized by creaking and noisy elements, deliberately designed to elicit a mix of repulsion and magnetic attraction in viewers. Feliza’s intentional selection of materials, such as industrial waste, had a dual meaning: it served as both a subversive statement and a practical choice. By using readily available components associated with traditionally male-dominated industries and incorporating recycled elements, she has made a conscious artistic statement. Her work with these “leftovers” was a deliberate nod to the social implications of spatial forms and their influence on the local environment, underscoring the broader social and environmental themes woven into her art.

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Teresa Rudowicz (1928-1994)

Teresa Rudowicz is a prominent figure in Kraków’s artistic community, where she played a significant role as a co-founder and member of both the post-war II Kraków Group and the Krzysztofory Gallery. Initially, Rudowicz’s artistic endeavors involved the use of watercolor and collage techniques. As her career progressed, her focus shifted towards metaphorical abstract painting. During the 1950s and 1960s she explored surrealist aesthetics, creating collages that incorporated fragments of yellowed letters, photographs, memorabilia and graphics. These collages were made using traditional painting methods and then coated with varnish. Rudowicz’s artistic path involves experimenting with different pictorial materials, including the frottage technique. This experimentation led her to create assemblages that combined ready-made objects, through which she constructed personal mythologies and archives. Her portfolio includes compositions of geometric drapes and gestural abstract paintings, which may reflect her enthusiasm for Tachisme. This fascination influenced her style of making abstract compositions on canvas, incorporating shadows emerging from frames and fragments of figures formed through layers of paint. In the 1980s, Rudowicz challenged established artistic norms by presenting a distorted representation of Christ in her work entitled “Crucifixion” (1983). This work symbolized her departure from traditional iconographic representations. Combining the monotype technique with collage composition, the artist infused her works with an emotional intensity, conveying the tragedy of the struggle to capture the rappresentation of suffering through visual arts.

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Jadwiga Maziarska (1913-2003)

Having graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow in 1939, she was a key figure in the circle around Tadeusz Kantor, Cricot 2 Theatre, and was one of the founders of the Grupa Krakowska Artistic Association in 1957. Her artistic vision was influenced by the Polish Capists group, surrealist aesthetics and esteemed individuals such as Czapski, Cybis, and Potworowski. Prior to the war, Maziarska actively participated in political movements, and later she was honored with the Jan Cybis Award in 2001. Throughout her body of work, she conducted gestural experiments to enrich the texture and rhythmic compositions of her abstract paintings. Maziarska maintained a profound interest in colorism, where light and instinct played significant roles in her artistic expression. She explored the intrinsic structure of matter, blending its psychological dimension with material texture to investigate rhythm, dynamism, and energy. Her biomorphic artistic solutions transcended local standards, notably surpassing the achievements of the Kraków Group, establishing her own distinctive aesthetics. As an innovative artist, she approached paint as a tangible medium, almost sculptural in terms, bridging dichotomies such as microcosm and macrocosm, Apollonian and Dionysian, chaos and order, and emotions and rationalism.