The Emergence of Modern Sculpture in Paris and London, 1890 – 1930
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:
Sculpture was revolutionised at the beginning of the twentieth century by artists who wanted to experiment with their working techniques, the materials they used, and the forms they produced. Young sculptors all over Europe had been inspired by the work of the innovative nineteenth-century sculptor Auguste Rodin, but they were also keen to do something different.
This course starts by looking at why Rodin was so important and considers the ways in which his work was considered ‘modern’ in comparison with the sculptural traditions that had gone before.
The focus is then on the generation of Paris-based Amedeo Modigliani, Constantin Brancusi and Ossip Zadkine, and Jacob Epstein and Henri 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 consider the sculpting traditions that émigré artists brought to Paris from their homelands and discuss the importance of the worldwide Arts and Crafts revival to their work.
Finally, we will look at some recently discovered photographs which highlight the links between sculptors from both sides of the English Channel in the 1920s, touching on some early works of, amongst others, the English modernist Henry Moore.
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.