From the beginning of the 20th century in Poland, we can observe an unusual interest in sculpting among young women, a discipline which, due to the physical effort required, the dirt and dust, was still considered typically male. Looking at the careers of many female sculptors at the beginning of the 20th century, it is impossible not to analyse the issue related to their education. In Warsaw, women were allowed to study at the School of Fine Arts from 1904, while in Krakow it was only from 1920 onwards. Before that, they could only study at private schools and in artists' studios. This fact contributed greatly to the search for education abroad. Paris, since the end of the 19th century, had been the artistic capital of the world. A sculptural personality who attracted many Polish female artists was Antoine Bourdelle, professor at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.

Bourdelle was a figure of particular importance to the Poles, as an active advocate of Poland's aspirations for independence and the creator of a monument to Adam Mickiewicz in Paris. Many prominent Polish women artists studied under Bourdelle, whose work and successes, including internationally, have made their mark on the history of art, including: Jadwiga Bohdanowicz, Janina Broniewska, Luna Drexler, Helena Głogowska, Maria Szczytt-Lednicka, Kazimiera Pajzderska-Małaczyńska, Olga Niewska, Mika Mickun, Zofia Trzcińska-Kamińska. Bourdelle was a highly regarded sculptor and educator who sought not to impose his vision but to inspire.

The exhibition will show the work of selected female artists, not only sculptors, their relationship with the master's art, their search for their own individual path, the variety of forms, materials and themes. The exhibition will be enriched by archive photographs and documents.

The exhibition Direction Paris. Polish Women Artists from Bourdelle's Studio is the second exhibition in the series - following the exhibition Without a Corset. Camille Claudel and Polish Women Sculptors of the 19th Century (realised in 2023 at the MNW) - prepared as part of the research project Polish Women Sculptors of the 19th-20th Century, carried out in collaboration with the Musée Rodin in Paris, the Musée Camille Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine and the Musée Antoine Bourdelle in Paris.