Medardo Rosso (1858-1928): Opening the Door to Modern  and Contemporary Sculpture by Dr Sharon Hecker

The Italian/French artist Medardo Rosso (1858–1928) was a key figure in expanding the definition of sculpture for the modern era. Not only did he focus on everyday, contemporary subjects, but he also experimented with light in order to render sculpture ephemeral and seemingly insubstantial. His heads and figures in plaster, wax and bronze—frequently portrayed as tired, meditative, laughing, or melancholy—appear to be caught in fugitive visual, physical, or emotional states. As fleeting “impressions” of modern life, they stand in marked contrast to the monumental, idealized depictions typical of traditional sculpture before and during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This lecture explores Rosso’s production through his experimental sculptures, photographs and drawings, as well as the enormous influence he had upon Henry Moore, Umberto Boccioni, Constantin Brancusi and Alberto Giacometti. Today, his work is fundamental to contemporary artists, from Tony Cragg to Diana Al-Hadid, Marisa Merz, Luciano Fabro and Barry X Ball.

Dr. Sharon Hecker (BA Yale University, MA/PhD UC Berkeley) is an art historian and curator specializing in modern and contemporary Italian art. An international authority on Medardo Rosso, she published over 30 books and essays, including A Moment’s Monument: Medardo Rosso and the International Origins of Modern Sculpture (CAA Millard Meiss Publication Fund award, translated into Italian). She curated exhibitions on Rosso at Harvard University Art Museums, Pulitzer Arts Foundation and Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. Sharon has written on other Italian artists from Lucio Fontana and Luciano Fabro to Marisa Merz, and was Project Coordinator for Jenny Holzer, the first woman to represent the US at the Venice Biennale (Golden Lion Award for Best Pavilion). Sharon is Series Editor, Bloomsbury Visual Arts’ Visual Cultures and Italian Contexts Series; Chair, International Catalogue Raisonné Assocation; Member, Board of Directors, College Art Association. She is curating an exhibition on Lucio Fontana’s ceramics (Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, 2025).