Washington, DC—Celebrated for sensual marble sculptures that represented a new approach to classical idealism, Antonio Canova (1757–1822) was the preeminent European artist of his time. At the center of his sculpting process, yet largely unknown, are extraordinary modern clay models that retain the touch of the artist’s hand, giving a revelatory glimpse into Canova’s imaginative and technical process. Canova: Sketching in Clay is the first exhibition in over 50 years to focus on these terracottas (clay sketches that have been fired). Presenting a deeper understanding of the artist, particularly his phenomenal skills as a modeler, this exhibition features a large group of terracottas from the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno, his hometown in northern Italy, as well as exquisite examples from other collections in Europe. Also included are several plasters and marbles that are directly related to his terracottas. The exhibition is on view in the West Building of the National Gallery of Art, from June 11 through October 9, 2023, and at the Art Institute of Chicago from November 19, 2023, through March 18, 2024.

“While his professional reputation has always been tied to marble, Antonio Canova’s clay models reveal a bold and more expressionistic side to his creative identity,” said Kaywin Feldman, director of the National Gallery of Art. “I would like to thank our lenders for their willingness to share their treasured works of art, enabling us to present Canova’s works together. This project would not have been possible without the generosity of the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno, where his studio effects—including 36 terracottas—were moved after the artist’s death.”

Exhibition Tour

National Gallery of Art, Washington, June 11–October 9, 2023
The Art Institute of Chicago, November 19, 2023–March 18, 2024

About the Exhibition

Canova not only found clay extremely useful in creating his marble sculptures, but he also delighted in its feel and was particularly impassioned when sculpting in this material. He used clay in a variety of ways: to explore his ideas in three dimensions; to present his designs to patrons in the form of more finished models; to create larger models that helped him refine the details of his designs; and to produce the final full-scale models that were then cast in plaster. He and his assistants translated the plaster models into stone through a mechanical system for copying known as pointing—a method that allowed him to be prolific while he maintained the highest standards of quality for his works. Marked with rapid impressions from his fingers and tools, his models are completely different in character from his marbles, which are finished to a perfection that hides all trace of the artist’s hand.

The exhibition in Washington is organized in three thematic sections—myths and legends, faith and monuments, and portraits. Highlights include models that date to Canova’s artistic origins in Venice and his first commissions in Rome, notably his Religion and other studies for the papal monuments to Clement XIII and Clement XIV; models for Cupid and Psyche, one of his most alluring sculptures, and for his masterpiece The Three Graces; and his spectacular marble of Napoleon’s mother, Letizia Ramolino, surrounded by three models that were preparatory for it. Canova also explored grief and remorse in several works, from the Penitent Magdalen models in marble to Adam and Eve Mourning the Dead Abel—three heart-wrenching models made near the end of his own life.

By displaying Canova’s preparatory models alongside some of his finest marbles, the exhibition invites us to contemplate how an artist renowned for the polished perfection of these sculptures could have developed them from a style of modeling that was so expressive, so rough and immediate. These clay sketches show us the artist’s hand, from his signature gestures to his fingerprints. Canova: Sketching in Clay explores Canova’s process—detailing how he designed in clay and how he moved from sketch to finished statue. After developing his ideas in clay—a step that is demonstrated in a video made for the exhibition—Canova made increasingly larger models that were cast in plaster. Assistants used the pointing system to copy plaster into marble, which Canova then finished.

Exhibition Catalog

Published by the National Gallery of Art in association with the Art Institute of Chicago and distributed by Yale University Press, this 280-page illustrated volume with new photography by Luigi Spina explores how and why Canova created clay models. It is the first monograph devoted entirely to the brilliantly expressive clay models that he made in preparation for his idealized and sensual sculptures in marble. Extensive technical research of about 40 of the 60 or so terracotta models that survive was carried out in conjunction with this exhibition. Findings reveal the steps Canova took in making his models, as well as the tool marks or modeling gestures that distinguish his style. The authors, with expertise in art history and conservation, focus on Canova’s terracottas, examining his techniques in modeling and in scaling them up to full-size copies that his assistants could reproduce in marble, as well as his practice of gifting them to friends.

The book is available for purchase at National Gallery shops located in the West Building and East Building, and at shop.nga.gov (online); (800) 697-9350 (phone); or [email protected] (email).

Related Activities

Lecture and Book Signing
Introduction to the Exhibition “Canova: Sketching in Clay”
June 11, noon
East Building Auditorium
C. D. Dickerson, senior curator of European and American Art, National Gallery of Art
A signing of the book follows in the East Building Shop.

Exhibition Organization

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Major support is provided by the Annenberg Fund for the International Exchange of Art.

Additional support is provided by the Embassy of Italy.

Under the patronage of the National Committee for the Celebration of the Bicentenary of the Death of Antonio Canova, Ministry of Culture, Rome.

Exhibition Curators

The exhibition is curated by C. D. Dickerson III, senior curator of European and American art, National Gallery of Art, and Emerson Bowyer, Searle Curator, Painting and Sculpture of Europe, the Art Institute of Chicago.

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Exhibition Announcement: October 06, 2021
Canova: Sketching in Clay
National Gallery of Art, Washington, June 11–October 9, 2023
The Art Institute of Chicago, November 19, 2023–March 18, 2024

Antonio Canova (1757–1822) was the preeminent European artist of his time, renowned for sensual marble sculptures that represented a new approach to classical idealism. Canova: Sketching in Clay is the first exhibition to focus on the expressive clay models that he created in preparation for his marbles. Through a careful analysis of approximately 40 of the some 60 terracotta models that survive, the exhibition seeks a deeper understanding of the artist, from his beginnings in Venice during the late 1770s to his death in 1822. Plaster and marble sculptures directly related to the terracottas are also included to help demonstrate how Canova moved from sketch to finished statue. The works—some rarely seen in public—come from private and public collections across Europe and the United States.

A scholarly catalog accompanies the exhibition and explores how and why Canova created his models. Extensive technical research was carried out in conjunction with the show, with findings revealing the steps Canova took in making his models, as well as the tool marks or modeling gestures that distinguish his style.

The exhibition is curated by C. D. Dickerson, curator and head of sculpture and decorative arts, National Gallery of Art, and Emerson Bowyer, Searle Curator, Painting and Sculpture of Europe, The Art Institute of Chicago.

The exhibition is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, and The Art Institute of Chicago.