The Easel

22nd November 2022

Magdalena Abakanowicz at Tate Modern: strange, evocative, extremely suggestive tapestries that think they’re sculptures

Alastair Sooke | The Telegraph | 15th November 2022

You probably haven’t heard of Abakanowicz. In the 1970’s, though, her enormous textile sculptures were seen internationally as a commentary on communist Poland. More likely they explored her view that fibre is “the basic element constructing the organic world”. She helped spark a revival in fibre sculpture. Her works, resembling huge coats or hollow trees invite, as one critic puts it, “physical and psychological closeness”. This writer agrees, calling them “a superb contribution to 20th century art”.

15th November 2022

Extraordinary Bronze Statues Discovered at the Sanctuary of San Casciano dei Bagni

Gary Manners | Ancient Origins | 8th November 2022

Before the Romans, it was the Etruscans who dominated central Italy. In “one of the most remarkable discoveries in the history of the ancient Mediterranean” a trove of 24 well preserved Etruscan statues has been found near Florence. They are notable for being bronze (rather than terra cotta) and date to the period – about 200 BCE – when the Romans were gradually absorbing the Etruscan civilisation. Says an official “It’s a discovery that will rewrite history”. More images are here.

Lee Bontecou, Artist of Delightfully Uncategorizable Sculptures, Dies at 91

Jasmine Liu | Hyperallergic | 9th November 2022

Recognition arrived quickly for Bontecou, on the strength of her unclassifiable sculptural reliefs – bulbous works with fabric stretched across a metal armature. Often, they featured a central black void-like structure. She didn’t help much by way of explanation, stating that these works were “too rich” for minimalism (obvious) but weren’t about “feminist issues”. Over the last decade there has been a revival of interest in her work. A video is here and detailed review here.

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