Monika Piwowarska (1914 Orenburg, Russia - 2006 Warsaw), Nude, 1959

lithograph/paper
Dimensions: 26.5 x 43 cm
signed and dated in pencil at the bottom: 'MPiwowarska59'

Biography
After graduating from the Slowacki High School in Warsaw, she entered the School of Decorative Arts and Painting on Mysliwiecka Street at the urging of Mewa Lunkiewicz (Maria Ewa Lunkiewicz-Rogoyska). In 1939 she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Painting Department under Prof. Felicjan Kowarski. Initially, she was mainly interested in landscape, portraiture especially of children, and also created pacifier dolls and toy designs. Influenced by her friendship with Henryk Stażewski, she focused on abstraction from 1962, and soon transferred these experiences to her work in fabric. Inspired by Maria Łaszkiewiczowa, she joined the Experimental Studio of ZPAP, where the beginnings of the successes of Polish artistic textiles were born, including Magdalena Abakanowicz. She practiced portrait and abstract painting, as well as artistic fabric - tapestries. She was the recipient of numerous awards. her works are in the collections of major Polish museums and in private collections.

At the entrances to the staircases of buildings in Warsaw's Żoliborz district are mosaics by Dorota Brodowska and Tadeusz Znosko inspired by the work of Monika Piwowarska.