Who is Magdalena Abakanowicz? The sculptor featured in today's Google Doodle

Google looks a bit different today and that’s because the search engine is celebrating what would have been the 93rd birthday of Polish sculptor Magdalena Abakanowicz.

As Google often does with its creative doodles that spell out the brand name, today’s draws inspiration from the sculptor’s life, work and rich history.

But who is Magdalena Abakanowicz?

Abakanowicz was born on 20 June 1930 in Poland. At the time, the country was ruled by a Communist regime. She lived through World War II, which has a significant impact on her life.

In 1948, following the end of the war, Abakanowicz began studying at the secondary school for plastic arts in Gdynia. In 1954, she graduated from Warsaw’s Academy of Fine Arts.

Abakanowicz began to develop her own style of sculpting throughout the 1960s transforming fabric into three-dimensional sculptures that hung from the ceiling. The installations were named Abakans after their creator.

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In 1965, Abakanowicz unique perception and way of thinking was rewarded at the São Paulo International Art Biennale where her Abakans won her the top prize.

Magdalena Abakanowicz's 93rd BirthdayGoogle

It was one of many awards she would go on to be awarded throughout her successful art career, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center in New Jersey, the Award for Distinction in Sculpture from the Sculpture Center in New York and the Commander Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta in Poland.

Her sculptural installation, Agora, located in Chicago’s Grant Park was created in the 1970s and remains the artist's most important statement about humanity.

Abakanwicz was inspired by the phenomenon of the crowd and the sociological outcome that suggests individuals lose their individuality within it.

She died on 20 April 2017 in Warsaw, Poland.

Google wrote: “Happy birthday Magdalena Abakanowicz, thank you for sharing the fabric of your life with the world.”

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