From Rodin to Hepworth: The Emergence of Modern Sculpture in Paris and London
Online
Dr Cathy Corbett
5 pre-recorded lectures and 5 live Zoom seminars at 18:30 [London Time], Thursday 8 January to Thursday 5 February 2026
£195
Course Description:
Our course begins with an exploration of the influence of the traditionally schooled Auguste Rodin, who is widely considered a founding father of modern sculpture. His work loomed large over younger sculptors at the beginning of the twentieth century – indeed Constantin Brancusi claimed to have left Rodin’s studio in 1907 as “nothing grows in the shadow of big trees”.
The focus next is on the generation of Paris-based Brancusi, Amedeo Modigliani and Ossip Zadkine, and Jacob Epstein and Gaudier-Brzeska in London, and on the new forms of sculpture they created in the period before the First World War. As we examine their influences, working practices and use of materials, we will also challenge accepted narratives about the emergence of ‘modern’ sculpture in this period. In particular, we will give attention to factors such as the sculpting traditions émigré artists brought to Paris from their homelands, and to the importance of the world-wide Arts and Crafts revival to their work.
The next generation of sculptors we consider includes Gertrude Hermes and Frank Dobson; Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth in their early work; Alberto Giacometti, Germaine Richier, and Dora Gordine – all inspired by the modernist approach to materials and the modernist aesthetic. Throughout the course, we will examine what made sculpture ‘modern’ and will engage with the existential question of whether sculpture still had a purpose in the modern world.
Lecturer's Biography
Dr Cathy Corbett is a historian of sculpture, with a focus on France, Great Britain and America during the first half of the twentieth century. Her MA and PhD were both undertaken at The Courtauld under the supervision of Professor Christopher Green. She holds a degree in Theology from the University of Oxford and taught A-level Religious Studies and History of Art in schools for many years before turning to research. She has contributed essays to the exhibition catalogues for Modigliani (Tate, 2017) and Zadkine by the Sea (The Hague, 2018) and is currently writing an introductory guide to modern sculpture.