Maria Bartuszová. Provisional forms

Working alone behind the Iron Curtain, Maria Bartuszová (1936–96), was one of a number of female artists who not only experimented formally and embarked intuitively on new themes, but who, because of a position at odds with mainstream modernist trends, remained in isolation or in a marginalized position.

Revealing her dynamic treatment of plaster—a material that, from a sculptor’s point of view, is both primitive and common—the book deftly reveals how Bartuszová experimented with materials, never hesitating to treat tradition, accepted norms, and trusted techniques as simply transitory and provisional. Offering a much-needed history of a vibrant body of work, Maria Bartuszová: Provisional Forms is an important contribution to the literature on great female artists.

The volume features contributions by a team of international scholars and curators; among the authors are: Marta Dziewańska, Gabriela Garlatyová, Martina Pachmanová, Anke Kempkes, Agata Jakubowska, Briony Fer, Claudia Calirman, Christine Macel, and Amanda Sarroff.