Auguste Rodin and 19th Century Sculpture
16 September 2026 at 10:00:00
Winston Churchill Hall, Ruislip
The Walking Man by Rodin, 1907
Rodin is one of the heroic figures of 19th century art history and was internationally celebrated during his lifetime. But after his death his reputation slipped and there were questions about his use of the female image.
Nowadays that is very much being reassessed and he is seen as having, in one career, taken sculpture on a revolutionary path equivalent to what the Realists, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists did in many careers.
This lecture surveys his work, showing why he is one of the greatest sculptors ever, and looks at his work in relationship to 19th century sculpture, as well assessing his continuing relevance today.
Our Speaker David Worthington has been drawn to abstract sculpture since seeing a Barbara Hepworth in a school history book aged 10. He graduated from Oxford University in 1984 with a degree in Philosophy and Theology, then studied fine art in London, Barcelona and New York.
He has carried out public commissions in the UK, America and Japan and his work is in the museum of the UNESCO Creative Cities Collection, Beijing, China. He was shortlisted for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize in 2009 and has had solo shows at the Lefevre Gallery, Horatio’s Garden, Glyndebourne Opera Festival and the Lightbox Gallery, Woking.
David is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Sculptors and was Vice President 2010-2013.
David Worthington