Czech-born Slovak sculptor Maria Bartuszová (1936 – 1996) studied at the Ceramics and Porcelain Studio at Prague’s Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, and spent most of her life in Košice, Slovakia. This Catalogue Raisonné provides a comprehensive overview of her sculpture, her original techniques and methods, and themes and ideas she explored that have remained undiscovered for a long time. A distinctiveness of Maria Bartuszová's approach is her concentration on the intimate experience of art, perceiving the creativity of nature and being connected to the laws of the universe. She used her knowledge of natural sciences, combined with a holistic approach, and her skill of intuitive guidance and the imaginative activity of play, as a conceptual method while experimenting with materials and the technical potential of sculpture. Her morphological thinking sought ideal form and haptic attraction, which encourages the viewer to touching – forging a certain closeness and intimate experience based on physical and mental participation. Maria Bartuszová’s work exudes fascination with life, but also humility towards it, both of which are the driving force behind her creativity.
