Collection

The works of Alina Szapocznikow from the Museum’s collection were produced during the experimental period of her creative activity, one marked by formal innovation and a new approach to the body and its representation. Szapocznikow touched upon traumatic motifs of the memory of Holocaust, of illness, of how limited and weak the body is. At the same time, her works thrive on an extraordinary affirmation of life and an untamed power of feminine expression.

The Belly is a gypsum cast of the stomach of Arianne Raoul-Auval, who at that time was Roland Topor’s fiancée. This particular cast served as a source for a range of other sculptures by Szapocznikow, which were made of various materials: gypsum, marble (Big Bellies) or polyurethane. The experiments with the latter material lead to the creation of The Belly Cushions which Szapocznikow meant to be mass-produced. In 1968, the artist produced a hundred Belly Cushions with the intention to have them enter private homes or preschools.