Congress SCULPTING THE SCULPTOR Barcelona University 10-11 NOVEMBER 2016.

The sculpture trade is certainly one of the most complex among the artistic practices, both regarding the technical specifications of the activity and the nature of the works produced. The sculpture in definitive matter requires a long and progressive process, which besides being usually physically demanding, entails the assumption of risks linked to the execution of the work of art. On top of this, the work of art is fundamentally three-dimensional, and thus must be conceived to occupy the space and dialogue with human beings. Even though that the presence of the public sculpture has declined in recent times, its importance as a cultural and ideological vehicle in the western world has been crucial through the ages..

The Congress SCULPTING THE SCULPTOR addresses the processes by which the sculptor evolves and develops their professional career, from start to end. It also analyses the processes that result in the relative success, among their peers and for the future generations, of both the sculptor and their work. These valuations can present interesting contrasts, be it on their geographical and/or chronological dimensions. The Congress also takes on the evaluation of the resources used by the sculptors to acquire prestige and get ahead, with a particular stress on the voyages made, analysing their motives and consequences; as well as the international projects that derive in transfer processes and hybridizations. Other subjects of the Congress are the work of those sculptors that went into exile in their later years, and the Art as a service to the State. The Congress’ main focus is the comprehension of the mechanisms through which the figure of the sculptor and their reputation is built, and the development of their professional career; a special focus is made on the Catalan sculptors evolving on the frame of the Spanish State during the 19th and 20th centuries.

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