A Moment's Monument - by Sharon Hecker (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Medardo Rosso (1858-1928) is one of the most original and influential figures in the history of modern art, and this book is the first historically substantiated critical account of his life and work. An innovative sculptor, photographer, and draughtsman, Rosso was a key figure in the transition from the traditional forms of sculpture that persisted through the nineteenth century to the experimental forms that developed in the twentieth. His antimonumental, antiheroic work reflected alienation in the modern experience yet also showed deep feeling for interactions between self and other. Rosso's art was also transnational: he refused allegiance to a single culture or artistic heritage and declared himself both a citizen of the world and a maker of art without national limits. In this book, Sharon Hecker develops a narrative that is an alternative to the dominant Franco-centered perspective on the origin of modern sculpture in which Rodin plays the role of lone heroic innovator. Offering an original way to comprehend Rosso, A Moment's Monument negotiates the competing cultural imperatives of nationalism and internationalism that shaped the European art world at the fin de siáecle"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Medardo Rosso (1858-1928) is one of the most original and influential figures in the history of modern art, and this book is the first historically substantiated critical account of his life and work. An innovative sculptor, photographer, and draftsman, Rosso was vital in paving the way for the transition from the academic forms of sculpture that persisted in the nineteenth century to the development of new and experimental forms in the twentieth. His antimonumental, antiheroic work reflected alienation in the modern experience yet showed deep feeling for interactions between self and other. Rosso's art was transnational: he refused allegiance to a single culture or artistic heritage and declared himself both a citizen of the world and a maker of art without national limits. In this book, Sharon Hecker develops a narrative that is an alternative to the dominant Franco-centered perspective on the origin of modern sculpture in which Rodin plays the role of lone heroic innovator. Offering an original way to comprehend Rosso, A Moment's Monument negotiates the competing cultural imperatives of nationalism and internationalism that shaped the European art world at the fin de siècle.

From the Back Cover

"Medardo Rosso is one of the most important modern sculptors and is often seen as being, like Rodin, a key figure in the transition from traditional, classicizing forms of sculpture to new experimental forms. Sharon Hecker's book successfully places Rosso in an international context, and does so in a way that will speak not just to specialists working on Rosso but more broadly to historians of modern art and historians of modern sculpture."--Alex Potts, author of The Sculptural Imagination

Review Quotes

"Hecker has ably overcome contradictory information and a dearth of sources to discover new data on the artist . . . a comprehensive assessment of Rosso's sculpture in a well-sourced monograph."-- "3rd Dimension: The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association Magazine"

"Hecker situates this all-too-often marginalized sculptor within the field of the international avant-garde. Often considered as either a slightly mysterious three-dimensional Impressionist or as an inspiration to movements such as Futurism, Rosso has rarely received sustained attention as a figure in his own right. Hecker makes a significant effort to counter this by placing him at the center of a key modernist concern: the tension (as suggested by the book's title) between the momentary and the monumental. . . . eminently readable. . . this publication clearly demonstrates that a book-length study was warranted and overdue. "-- "caa.reviews"

"Hecker's tour de force has been over a decade in the making. For many of us it was highly anticipated and it did not disappoint. Her painstaking research has resulted in numerous corrections and new readings that are both articulate and persuasive. She argues for the broader international significance of Rosso's production and makes the case for his place in the lineage of modern sculpture."-- "Italian Art Society"

"In placing Rosso (rather than Rodin) at the origins of modern sculpture, this book makes a bold and erudite intervention in the history of the medium. Moreover, the emphasis on the cosmopolitan nature of artistic networks in fin-de-siècle Europe will be instructive to historians of modern art in all media." -- "Burlington Magazine"

About the Author

Sharon Hecker is an art historian specializing in Italian modern and contemporary art. Based in Los Angeles and Milan, she is a leading authority on Medardo Rosso and has published extensively on Lucio Fontana and Luciano Fabro. Her publications include Medardo Rosso: Second Impressions.