The exhibition, aptly titled ‘Sculpture’, showcases pieces that truly capture the diverse faces of plastic art, which can be challenging to encapsulate under a single umbrella. The exhibition was designed by Ruggero Moncada Architects. In the language of art history, ‘sculpture’ primarily referred to the art form that Michelangelo described as ‘taking away’, meaning marble sculpture, as opposed to ‘adding on’, the true ‘plastic’, encompassing both bronzes and terracottas. Later, around the time of Canova, plaster sculptures also gained recognition as works of art. Meanwhile, the majolica technique had long since evolved beyond the mere production of utilitarian objects, allowing for the creation of ‘figures’.
As we know, with the advent of the twentieth century, artists would elevate nearly every possible material to new heights of dignity. The works currently on display at Modenantiquaria, in the fourth edition of ‘Sculpture’, are crafted from marble, bronze, terracotta, plaster, and majolica. However, a remarkable addition is the use of polyurethane foam (the Greto di torrente, a classic nature-carpet signed and dated 1985 by Piero Gilardi). And let’s not forget about ivory. Sometimes, artists even experiment with materials: Umberto Milani’s Avorio (1950) is a captivating plaster piece, reminiscent of Cycladic art.
Let’s proceed in chronological order, starting with another material, stucco, and a technique, molding, which is not immediately associated with early Renaissance art. The 15th-century Madonna and Child is a molded piece, made of polychrome stucco, by a sculptor from Lorenzo Ghiberti’s circle. Incidentally, Ghiberti is also one of the fathers of art history, with his Commentari. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, we find the rare terracotta Bust of a Young Man in Armor, crafted by Agostino De Fondulis from Cremona. This piece belongs to one of the most influential dynasties of sculptors, active between Lombardy and Veneto, whose legacy we are only now beginning to fully appreciate and distinguish. The seated Madonna and Child in majolica, crafted in the Romagna-Marche region, dates back to the early 16th century. Its vibrant colors are in a perfect state of preservation.
The Baroque era, naturally, boasts a rich collection of pieces, showcasing the mastery of terracotta, marble, bronze, and ivory. The most significant collection is the small Emilian terracottas – not sketches, not models – crafted with precision for a sophisticated collector’s taste, and preserved with their original patinas and polychromies.
First and foremost, the monumental Bust of Pietro Ercole Fava by Giuseppe Maria Mazza, a remarkable work for its genre (a rare portrait in the terracotta production of this school) and for the identity of the depicted figure. The brilliant follower of Mazza, Carlo Sarti, presents a Madonna in relief, while Gaetano Gandolfi, better known as a painter, is credited with a striking group of two Moors beside a chest, a subject that defies a precise definition. Prior to the opening, Gaetano Gandolfi’s work was replaced by a wooden sculpture of Saint Catherine of Alexandria by a Venetian sculptor, made of gilded polychrome wood (1370/1390, height cm. 56, Editor’s note]. The beautiful Lamentation by Giacomo De Maria, intended for private devotion, concludes this sequence.
In bronze, however, are the two unique Hercules and Bacchus as children, crafted in 18th-century Rome and found in the collection of Francesco Taccone, Marquis of Sitizano (1762-1818). The ancient bust of Julius Caesar, crafted from polychrome marble, also originates from the Roman workshop. Additionally, one of the most eccentric pieces in this collection, the magnificent ivory relief of Sant’Agnese on the pyre, by Dominikus Stainhart, recalls the marble statue of the same subject by Ercole Ferrata in Sant’Agnese in Agone.
However, a truly pivotal work in this edition of ‘Sculpture’, due to its close connection with the city that hosts it, is undoubtedly the Francesco III d’Este, Duke of Modena, on horseback by Francesco Antonio Cassarini from Carrara (signed and dated 1750). This marble sculpture serves as a valuable testimony to a lost public work in Modena.
The neoclassical era is represented here by two marble portrait busts: one by Raimondo Trentanove, a Romagna-born sculptor and long-time student of Canova in Rome; and another by Amedeo Lavy, a Piedmontese artist who also trained in the Eternal City. Jean-François Legndre-Héral, whose terracotta Silenus appears to us as a 19th-century reinterpretation of the Silenus by the adopted Neapolitan Jusepe de Ribera, bridges the gap between Neoclassicism and the new realist sculpture of the Courbet era.
The Child of Nazareth by Lombard Eugenio Pellini dates back to 1891, a marble sculpture that serves as the Milanese counterpart to the world of the Neapolitan Vincenzo Gemito (it’s no coincidence that the work is also known as Monello). The second half of the twentieth century alone matches or surpasses the presence of each of the previous centuries; and it is a selection of the utmost respect for variety and quality.
Mirko Basaldella’s bronze Richiamo, already abstract and exhibited multiple times (1952), is a true gem. Equally modern, albeit figurative, is Luciano Minguzzi’s Donna che salta la corda in gesso from 1953, the same year as Aligi Sassu’s radiantly polychrome Cavalli in ceramica. The Controluce by Pietro Consagra, on display here, is a play on light through subtraction and crossing. This piece, crafted from painted iron and bronze, dates back to 1976. The marble sculpture by Chilean artist Pablo Atchugarry, created in 2022, brings the anthology to a close. This abstract yet classic work embodies a noble composure, making it the perfect conclusion to this collection.
*We are pleased to present the accompanying text for the analog version of the Sculpture exhibition catalog, open to the public during the 2025 edition of Modenantiquaria (February 8-16, 2025). This exhibition features works from galleries that are part of the Associazione Antiquari d’Italia. By clicking on the respective links, you can easily download the complete list of exhibited works and the exhibition plan (courtesy of Ruggero Moncada Architects).
17 February 2025
