Body Doubles:
Sculpture in Britain, 1877–1905

New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2004
Late nineteenth-century Britain experienced an explosion of interest in sculpture. Sculptors of the “New Sculpture” movement sought a new direction and a modern idiom for their art. This book analyzes for the first time the art-theoretical concerns of the late-Victorian sculptors, focusing on their attitudes toward representation of the human body. David J. Getsy uncovers a previously unrecognized sophistication in the New Sculpture through close study of works by key figures in the movement: Frederic Leighton, Alfred Gilbert, Hamo Thornycroft, Edward Onslow Ford, and James Havard Thomas.

These artists sought to activate and animate the conventional format of the ideal statue so that it would convincingly stand in for both a living body and an ideal image. Getsy demonstrates the conceptual complexity of the New Sculptors and places their concerns within the larger framework of modern sculpture.

FROM THE BACK COVER
”David Getsy writes of sculpture as sculpture, something that is surprisingly rare. With a fine grasp of the theory and practice of modern sculpture, he attends not only to the three-dimensionality of the statues he discusses, but above all to the viewer's experience of their physicality and corporeality. Through its fascinating accounts of individual works, 'Body Doubles' builds a powerful case for a reassessment of the freestanding, ideal statue in the history of modern sculpture.” – Elizabeth Prettejohn, University of York

“Rather than asking us to forgive or overlook the wild embodiment of Victorian sculpture, Getsy makes an even bolder move: to show that these bronzes stake everything -- not the least their aesthetic relevance -- on an erotic presence as conceptually intricate as the works themsleves are physically detailed. The result puts on view more than Victorian bodily attitudes: it directly addresses the complex qualities of the Victorian mind.” – Anne Wagner, University of California, Berkeley

FROM THE REVIEWS
"Victorian sculpture hardly seems fertile ground to undertake an investigation of modern and Modernist questions about representation. Yet it is precisely the project of this rigorous exploration—innovative and remarkably well-argued—about British sculptural aesthetics of the late nineteenth century." - Marc Gotlieb, Williams College / Perspective

“Getsy adds immeasurably to what has been done before – for all my writings on Leighton’s Athlete, Getsy has told me things I did not know. And with what he writes about Thornycroft, Ford and Thomas he fundamentally revolutionises how we must now look at these sculptors. … One certainly gains the impression…of Getsy’s sheer élan. … Throughout, the text deals with materiality, figuration, objecthood, space, verisimilitude, an almost endless treasure trove of observation, history and criticism. This is a major publication on British sculpture of the late-nineteenth century and everyone who is interested in sculpture of any period should read it.” – Benedict Read, University of York / Sculpture Journal

"Getsy's Body Doubles significantly develops our understanding of Victorian sculpture. [...] There is probably no other scholar in the field, apart from Benedict Read, with the kind of encyclopedically broad and yet microscopically detailed knowledge of Victorian sculpture that Getsy possesses. [It is] a volume full of close readings that are as inventive as they are persuasive." - Jason Edwards, University of York / Art History

"Getsy provides an important contribution to the history of British sculpture. . . . Getsy has made an important step toward reintegrating sculpture into more general concern about modernity and the body in Victorian art." – Tim Barringer, Yale University / Art Journal

"An invaluable "second generation" contribution to scholarship of the New Sculpture." – Mark Stocker, Victorian Studies

"In his book Body Doubles, Getsy demonstrates impressively that the precise recouplingbetween art historical beginnings and individual works protects the principalmethodological openness from arbitrariness.For the study of European sculpture in the late 19th century, Getsy hasset a new standard with this book." – Arie Hartog, Sehepunkt

“This book appeals especially to those fascinated by artists willing to challenge the status quo as each chapter focuses on specific sculptures created in an effort to push boundaries within modern art theory. . . . Rich in detail and interlaced with sculptural images, Body Doubles examines how British sculptors of this period used the body to juxtapose classical tradition with modern innovation.” – Ashley Murray, Art & Antiques

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