The Exhibition
A rich and sensory overview of Abakanowicz's practice.
“Magdalena Abakanowicz, The Fabric of Existence” brings together 70 ensembles spread over approximately 600 m², offering a journey where tapestry becomes sculpture and sculpture, a collective body.
You encounter Abakans, sculptures made of canvas and resin, and monumental installations that treat fiber as one shapes flesh: through layering, tension, and gravity.
The selection emphasizes the variation of materials—sisal, canvas, resin—and the ability of these surfaces to produce volume, texture, and vibration, sometimes enveloping, sometimes rough.
This is the first major retrospective dedicated to Magdalena Abakanowicz in France, a rare opportunity to gauge the scope of an approach born from the trials of the 20th century.
Why Go
Four good reasons to take the tour.
The Journey
A scenography that emphasizes scale and breathing space.
The installation allows for breathing space: suspended pieces that float, grouped sculptures that impose repetition as a collective writing.
The hang brings isolated works and massive ensembles into dialogue, letting La Foule V and pieces from the Dos series interact from varied viewpoints.
Heights, distances, and lighting are calibrated so that closeness reveals the fabric and distance brings out the mass effect; visitors are invited to shift scale, to feel the weight of volumes and fragility of fibers.
The alternation between enveloping pieces and more unsettling installations creates a rhythm transforming the stroll into a physical and reflective experience.
Editor's note
At Musée Bourdelle, Abakanowicz’s work regains a breathing space full of meaning: textures and volumes weave presences, and the visit, far from being illustrative, becomes a sensitive journey where material speaks about us.
About the Artist
Magdalena Abakanowicz, a central figure of 20th-century Polish art.
Born in 1930 and deceased in 2017, Abakanowicz lived through war, censorship, and the hardships of the communist regime, conditions that inform her reflection on community and human fragility.
She renews tapestry by freeing it from decorative uses: the Abakans, which appeared in the late 1960s, are sculptural formats that caused both scandal and admiration.
The artist favors raw materials, particularly sisal, and a vocabulary of fragmented and repeated forms that explore corporality, anonymity, and collective memory.
More than a style, her practice is a poetics of volume, where texture becomes language and repetition, inquiry.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the exhibition dates?
From November 20, 2025 to April 12, 2026.
What are the opening hours and last entries?
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. Last entry for the temporary exhibition: 5:15 pm; last entry for the permanent collections: 5:40 pm.
What is the adult ticket price and how to get a ticket?
The adult ticket price is €12. Tickets are sold at the museum ticket office and online; please check conditions and available time slots before your visit.
Is the museum closed on certain days?
Yes, the museum is closed on Mondays and certain public holidays, notably May 1st, December 25th, and January 1st.
Practical Information
Essential details to prepare your visit.
Dates: November 20, 2025 to April 12, 2026. Location: Musée Bourdelle, 18 rue Antoine Bourdelle, 75015 Paris.
Opening Hours: open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. Last entry to the temporary exhibition: 5:15 pm; last entry to the permanent collections: 5:40 pm.
Closures: the museum is closed on Mondays and certain public holidays, notably May 1st, December 25th, and January 1st. Adult ticket: €12.
Tickets are available at the museum ticket office and online; it is recommended to check the visiting conditions and any available time slots before your visit.
Gallery
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