Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw Opens 'Sculpture Beyond the Solid' with Over 50 International Artists

The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw (MSN) is presenting a major contemporary sculpture survey titled 'Sculpture Beyond the Solid,' opening on October 16. The exhibition features more than fifty works by international artists, displayed throughout the museum, from outdoor walkways to second-floor galleries. Some pieces are being specially produced for the occasion. A highlight is Alina Szapocznikow's 'Friendship (Monument to Polish-Soviet Friendship),' a nearly three-meter-tall patinated bronze sculpture depicting two larger-than-life male figures. It has greeted visitors on the first floor since MSN's new site opened two years ago. Originally created in 1954 as a symbol of enduring Polish-Soviet friendship, the work now conveys themes of the colossus's eventual fall, hidden weakness and fragility, and radical change. Szapocznikow later dismissed the sculpture. The exhibition examines how sculpture responds to shifting realities, offering a broad and close look at those reactions.