ABAKANOWICZ, MAGDALENA

born June 20, 1930, Falenty, Pol. Polish artist whose massive sculptures made of woven fibres earned her international acclaim. A descendant of Polish nobility, Abakanowicz studied at the School of Fine Arts in Sopot, Pol. (1949), and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw (1954). She began working as an independent artist in 1956 and initially earned success for large, three-dimensional weavings known as "Abakans," a derivation of her family name. Later works such as "Heads" (1975),"Backs" (1976-82), "Embryology" (1978-81), and "Catharsis" (1985) were composed of a series of multiple fabric forms. Although best known for her work with textiles, she exhibited paintings, drawings, and sculptures of stone, metal, and clay. Her artwork appeared internationally in more than 100 group and solo exhibitions. From 1965, she taught at the State College of Fine Arts in Poznan, Pol., becoming a professor in 1979.