GODFREY - When you logged onto Google today, did you recognize the featured Doodle? If you’ve ever been to Lewis and Clark Community College (LCCC) in Godfrey, you might.
Today’s Google Doodle honors Magdalena Abakanowicz, a famous Polish sculptor, on her 93rd birthday. One of Abakanowicz’s pieces, “Untitled,” has a home on the LCCC campus.
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The sculpture is located behind Baldwin Hall. “Untitled” features five headless bronze figures that appear to be midstep. These figures are reminiscent of “Agora,” arguably Abakanowicz’s most famous work, which has a permanent installation at Grant Park in Chicago.
Abakanowicz was born in 1930 in Warsaw, Poland. Her family was a part of the Polish resistance after Germany invaded Poland when Abakanowicz was nine. This, as well as her time as a nurse during her teenage years in the thick of the war, likely influenced her art and eventual focus on the human condition.
After World War II, Abakanowicz attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. At this time, Poland had enforced socialist realism as its national art form, which drew on communist and nationalistic themes. Abakanowicz’s art, with its emphasis on nature, fell firmly outside of this category.
In 1956, Poland’s politics shifted during the time period known as Polish October. This allowed Abakanowicz to expand her artistic styles and visit other countries, broadening her interest in humanity and contributing to the sculpture style that eventually became her trademark.
Abakanowicz went on to win several awards and recognitions throughout her life. She achieved international fame. Several donors, including actor Robin Williams, were involved in the efforts to bring “Agora” to Grant Park in 2006.
“Untitled” was dedicated to LCCC in 2010, a few years before Abakanowicz’s death in 2017. She is regarded as one of the best Polish artists of all time.
To learn more about Abakanowicz and her work, visit the Google homepage and check out today’s Doodle, or click here. Or, of course, you can stop by the LCCC campus to see her work firsthand.
