Viewer/Voyeur: The Female Form in Modern Sculpture

'Viewer/Voyeur: The Female Form in Modern Sculpture' explores how the female form was presented by sculptors in the late 19th and early 20th century. This seminal era was the height of the neo-classical and Art Deco movements, with artists using sculpture to explore sexuality and femininity in a variety of styles and forms. The medium of sculpture removes much of the ambiguity as to the role of the viewer in the consumption of art. As a three-dimensional object, a sculpture can be viewed from all angles, removing the element of hiding from the subject.

One of the most significant movements in early 20th-century bronze sculpture was the Art Deco movement. This style was characterized by its use of bold, geometric shapes, and streamlined forms that emphasized the beauty of the materials used. Marcel Bouraine, one of the pioneers of the Art Deco movement, exhibited this streamlined and androgynous style in his work 'Danse paienne'.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many artists also drew inspiration from ancient and classical art, resulting in a number of neoclassical works. These sculptures often featured idealized forms, and emphasized the beauty and grace of the human body. The presentation of women from ancient times allowed the sculptors a freedom of expression to interpret classical mythology and history. The presence of nymphs in these classical sculptures was a common theme, celebrating elements of freedom and artist expression, such as Ary Bitter's 'Pan and maidens' and Augusto Rivalta's 'Faun and Nymph'.

'Viewer/Voyeur: The Female Form in Modern Sculpture' will be presented online only from 27 April - 30 June.