“Bambini,” composed of 83 child-size figures, is now being described as the most expensive work by a contemporary Polish artist ever sold at auction in Poland and a world auction record for Abakanowicz. The Polish sculptor, who died in 2017, is regarded as one of the country’s most internationally recognized postwar artists; her work often explored anonymity, vulnerability and the tension between the individual and the crowd. That theme is also central to “Bambini,” whose figures evoke children at a stage when identity and social belonging are still taking shape. Abakanowicz’s large-scale public works can be seen in cities and museums worldwide, including “Agora” in Chicago’s Grant Park.