Medardo Rosso: Experiments in Light and Form

Published in conjunction with the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of Medardo Rosso’s work presented in a U.S. museum, Medardo Rosso: Experiments in Light and Form examines the work of this critically important, if perhaps under-recognized artist, who played a crucial role in the development of modern sculpture. Rosso’s efforts to “dematerialize” sculpture by incorporating light, combined with his focus on everyday subjects ranging from street urchins, to nursing children, to bookmakers, helped to expand the definition of sculpture for the modern era. His figures—tired, sick, meditative, laughing, or melancholy—appear to be caught in fugitive states. Intimately scaled “impressions” of modern life, they stand in marked contrast to the monumental, idealized depictions typical of so much traditional sculpture before and during the 19th and early-20th centuries.

This stunning volume explores Rosso’s sculptures in detail, while also bringing new scholarship to bear on his rarely-seen drawings and photographs. Thoroughly illustrated with both exhibition installation photography and photographs that Rosso himself took of his sculptures, this publication includes original essays by Sharon Hecker, independent Rosso expert; Tamara H. Schenkenberg, Curator, Pulitzer Arts Foundation; Jodi Hauptman, Senior Curator, Department of Drawings and Prints, The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Matthew S. Witkovsky, Richard and Ellen Sandor Chair and Curator, Department of Photography, the Art Institute of Chicago. Medardo Rosso: Experiments in Light and Form is published by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and produced by Lucia | Marquand.

This book is now for sale online at pulitzerarts.org

About the Pulitzer Arts Foundation
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation believes in the power of direct experiences with art. The museum presents historic and contemporary art in dynamic interplay with its celebrated Tadao Ando building, offering unexpected experiences and inspiring new perspectives. Valuing close looking and civic engagement, the Pulitzer is a place for contemplation and exchange that brings art and people together.

Located in the Grand Center Arts District of St. Louis, Missouri, the Pulitzer is free and open to the public between 10am–5pm on Wednesday through Saturday, with evening hours until 8pm on Friday. For more information, visit pulitzerarts.org or T 314 754 1850.

Pulitzer Arts Foundation media contacts
Lucy O’Brien: lucy@ennisobrien.com, T 646 590 9267