Hailed the godmother of installation art, Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska made monumental yet vulnerable works that reveal the power of art in the psyche and society. Her epic poem weaves a story from childhood in an aristocratic family whose Tartar lineage dates to Genghis Khan and which was shattered by the trauma of World War II to a life of courage that defied confining categories of nationality, materiality, and gender. Her revolutionary and sexually charged Abakans—the only contemporary artworks named for their maker—sparked an international art movement. Determined to engage in a global dialogue, she crossed the Iron Curtain more than any other artist to hold hundreds of exhibitions and went on to become one of the great heroic sculptors of the twentieth century. Her narration offers a uniquely intimate view of an artist’s deepest thoughts and private experiences. Yet more than personal reminiscence, Abakanowicz is driven to share an understanding based on respect for the organic world, reverence for indigenous cultures, and reminders from history. The wisdom gained speaks to no less than the survival of the planet.

See this illustrated timeline of Abakanowicz’s life and work.