Magdalena Abakanowicz is considered by many critics and artists alike to be the foremost artist working with fiber in the world today. That she is now considered a leading sculptor, as well, indicates how far she has come since her innovative, imposing woven "Abakans" of the 1960s led the way for a decade of experimentation by many artists with fiber as a medium for expression or as a medium for the making of art. Her work proved to have the strength to break with the venerable tradition of tapestry going back to the Middle Ages, and to transform radically our expectations of woven objects from being craft to fine art. The occasion of this first comprehensive retrospective of Magdalena Abakanowicz's work marks an important point in the career of the artist. -- From preface.