From 18 April 2025 onwards, the public in the Netherlands will have a unique chance to become familiar with the works of one of the most important Polish artists of the 20th century. The triptych “Magdalena Abakanowicz – Groots, groter, grootst” (i.e. Magdalena Abakanowicz – Great, Greater, Greatest) brings together three exhibition events taking place in two cities: Tilburg and Hertogenbosch. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is a partner of the project.

Magdalena Abakanowicz in the Netherlands – a triptych of expositions

The project “Magdalena Abakanowicz – Groots, groter, grootst” has been made possible owing to the collaboration of three institutions from North Brabant: two museums and one local government institution. TextielMuseum, Het Noordbrabants Museum and Provinciehuis Noord-Brabant have jointly created an impressive programme that showcases the full spectrum of work and heritage of Magdalena Abakanowicz (1930–2017). The artist gained international renown thanks to her sculptures, addressed topics that continue to be valid, and her impressive artistic achievements have inspired successive generations of artists. The three exhibition events are combined to form a coherent narrative on Abakanowicz’s life and work.

The triptych is also a manifestation of growing interest in the artist’s work on the international scale, which is an outcome of, among others, last year’s exhibition at Tate Gallery. The spring exhibitions in the Netherlands, inviting us to step into the world of one of the most outstanding artists of the past century, will be open from 18 April to 25 August 2025. Detailed information concerning the events is available on the specially created website www.grootsinbrabant.nl/en/.

“Everything is made of fiber” at the Textielmuseum in Tilburg

An exhibition “Everything is made of fiber” is presented at the Textielmuseum in Tilburg. It invites viewers to become familiar with the world of Magdalena Abakanowicz’s textile sculptures that blur the divisions between art and nature. Fascination with the texture of fabrics and structure of natural fibres served as a basis for the artist’s woven works, but also as a vehicle to portray human body.

Moreover, Abakanowicz was one of the pioneers of the installation art. When she acted as a curator of her own exhibitions, she would place her sculptures in central points of the exhibition spaces, thus creating “an environment” – a separate world of its own. While preparing “Everything is made of fiber,” curators visited the artist’s studio, workshop, and house, as well as interviewed her former assistants and custodians of collections of her works. The outcome is an invitation to enter into Magdalena Abakanowicz’s creative process.

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Crowd III, 1988-1989. Sylwia and Piotr Krupa Collection. © The Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation, Warsaw. Photo Het Noordbrabants Museum

“Magdalena Abakanowicz: Human Nature” at Het Noordbrabants Museum in Hertogenbosch

Het Noordbrabants Museum presents Abakanowicz’s works in a broader context. Her works are juxtaposed with creations of contemporary artists such as Anish Kapoor, Kimsooja, Marlene Dumas, or Kader Attia. Specially for this exhibition, a choreographer Nicole Beutler has prepared a dance show, and a film by Kristina Benjocki and Stijn Verhoeff will have its premiere during the event.

In Hertogenbosch, the works of Abakanowicz are embedded in a network of references to the history of the world and problems tightly related to mankind. Many of the topics present in her works are still valid nowadays, such as tensions between the East and the West, climate change, and awareness of our planet’s vulnerability. We can see that her works focused on restoring equilibrium between humanity and nature.

“Bois le Duc” exposition at Provinciehuis Noord-Brabant in Hertogenbosch

The largest work of art ever created by Magdalena Abakanowicz is found in Brabant and was crafted specially with one of the rooms of Provinciehuis Noord-Brabant in mind. The spectacular “Bois le Duc” is over 7 metres high and 22 metres long. Although this space is usually closed to the public, special events such as guided tours, film screenings, and an international symposium will be held during the exhibition. They will allow experiencing this impressive work of art at close range.

Magdalena Abakanowicz, Bois le Duc, (1970-1971), Provinciehuis Noord-Brabant © The Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation, Warsaw. Photo Rob Lipsius

The programme “Magdalena Abakanowicz - Groots, groter, grootst” is implemented owing to the support of: Abakanowicz Arts and Culture Charitable Foundation, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the Netherlands, Arriva, ASML x Brabant C, Blockbusterfonds, CANPACK, Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, Cultuurfonds/Barbas-van der Klauw Fonds, ’s-Hertogenbosch commune, Tilburg commune, Mondriaan Fonds, North Brabant province, The Marta Magdalena Abakanowicz-Kosmowska and Jan Kosmowski Foundation, and VriendenLoterij.