Library Display - Albert Toft: A Lesson in Modelling and Sculpture - Henry Moore Institute (2014)

The display Albert Toft: A Lesson in Modelling and Sculpture was shown in the library at the Henry Moore Institute from 24 January to 23 March 2014. It was curated by University of York PhD student Charlotte Drew, who was awarded an AHRC Block Grant Partnership (BGP) Studentship for the project.  The display was also one of a series of Library displays at the HMI that emerged from the Displaying Victorian Sculpture project, a major collaboration between the universities of York and Warwick and the Yale Center for British Art.

Display Description

The Library display focused on the teaching manual Modelling and Sculpture, published in 1911 by sculptor Albert Toft (1862-1949) for his students at the Royal College of Art,alongside archive images of Toft working in his studio. One of the first books of its kind, Modelling and Sculpture provides intriguing insight into the methods and practical challenges of creating sculpture at the time, as well as the training and practice undertaken by both sculptors and artists.

The display was curated by Charlotte Drew, PhD student at the University of York, and explored the processes involved in making sculpture, from initial sketch to modelling in clay and marble carving. It provided a glimpse into sculptors’ training and practice at the turn of the century, highlighting the extent to which sculptors such as Toft had to learn to be anatomists, chemists, engineers and teachers, as well as creative artists.