Tumors Personified

1971

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

Beginning in the early 1960s, the classically trained Szapocznikow explored the theme of the body in new industrial materials, such as polyester resin and glass wool. Tumors Personified is an autobiographical work created after the artist was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1969. Each amorphous tumor appears to grow from the gravel and includes a self-portrait. Szapocznikow chose to personify the tumors to show how the illness had taken over her identity. These formless growths owe much to the history of the non finito aesthetic in sculpture, particularly as practiced by Medardo Rosso and Auguste Rodin.

Artwork Details

Overview

Exhibition History

Title: Tumors Personified
Artist: Alina Szapocznikow (Polish, Kalisz 1926–1973 Praz Coutant)
Date: 1971
Geography: Country of Origin France
Medium: Polyester resin, glass wool, newspapers, gauze
Dimensions: Ranging from 13 x 22 1/16 x 13 3/8 inches (33 x 56 x 34 cm.) to 5 15/16 x 9 1/16 x 6 5/16" (15 x 23 x 16 cm.)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Courtesy of Zachęta – National Gallery of Art, Warsaw
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art