Space and Form: Selected Sculpture presents sculptures that encompass a variety of schools and movements such as the Cubists and British Modernists, among others. Many of the artists represented were either contemporaries of or influenced by one another. For example, Giacomo Manzù’s interest in figurative sculptures was inspired by Aristide Maillol’s voluptuous sculptures, Baltasar Lobo was Henri Laurens’s apprentice, and Derek Uhlman studied with Reuben Nakian. These sculptures are indicative of the gallery’s legacy of collecting Modern art, as well as our interest in artist networks and cohesive themes.    

While pieces by Maillol and Manzù reflect a commitment to naturalistic depictions of the human figure, sculptures by Laurens, Lobo, and Nakian tend towards experimentation with and abstraction of traditional subject matter. The abstract sculptures in the show by artists such as Ann Christopher, Robert Adams, and Bernar Venet explore the material properties of different metals, line, and form.