Avant-garde movements in the beginning of the 20th century greatly
contributed to the change in the traditional role of sculpture. This change saw
sculpture move away from the traditional and distinctive form of monuments, and
a move toward objects, readymades, and abstractions, which at first sight had
little in common with the memorials of the past. Critic Valentin Dyakonov will
discuss the twelve most prominent sculptures created from 1950 to present day,
addressing questions such as what influences the sculpture of today sculpture
and how does it intersect with current architectural trends? Could the most
abstract of sculpture still be considered monumental?
The fourth character of the series is George Segal (1925-2000), an American
sculptor renowned for his life-sized plaster works of human figures situated in
tableaux. These sculptures were implemented in people's everyday life, where
they could be enhanced by household items. Segal pioneered the use of plaster
bandages as a sculptural medium in place of traditional casting – at first kept
an iconic white, in his later years these were then painted in stark
monochromes. Today he remains one of the figureheads of twentieth-century
sculpture.
