Rodin, Brancusi, Moore: Through the Sculptor's Lens
June 6, 2015 by Leanne Cloudsdale 
Info
Waddington Custot Galleries
11 Cork Street
London W1S 3LT
May 22 – July 11, 2015
Words
Sauntering around the commercial galleries of London's Cork Street is always a pleasure, but the Waddington Custot for me, really cuts the mustard. It’s been part of my West End art circuit for over a decade, and never disappoints. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad show there, but their latest exhibition is a mark of curatorial genius, and smashed my former favourites to pieces. Through the Sculptor’s Lens presents vintage photographs from the studios of heavyweights Constantin Brancusi, Henry Moore and Auguste Rodin, providing us with an intimate glimpse into the daily working lives of these masters of the 3D form. Sepia shots of studies, lost works or those that were since destroyed show us how photography became an integral part of the development process for each and every masterpiece. Brancusi was personally introduced to photography by Man Ray, and subsequently went on to take and print his own, most of which now reside in the Pompidou Centre, Paris. Rather than undertake the job himself, Rodin chose to commission a range of professional photographers to document his numerous sculptural blockbusters, requesting experimentation on angles and lighting effects. Hailing from Yorkshire myself, Moore has always been the one for me, clean-cut and capable of producing colossal works, it’s ironic his dad was a coal miner, chipping away at hard stuff all his life – like father, like son. The experience of seeing their personal visual journals, brought together under one roof, was a total joy – and well worth a visit.
