Small in size, rich in stories
Guided tour for adults in the exhibition Statuettes. Small Sculpture at Home.
When we think of sculpture, we often imagine monumental works in public space. Yet a large part of the history of sculpture unfolds on a much smaller scale, closely connected to everyday life. Statuettes. Small Sculpture at Home highlights this intimate form of sculpture: small, portable works created for the domestic interior.
During this guided tour, an experienced guide leads you along a carefully selected route through one and a half centuries of small sculpture in Belgium, from around 1880 to today and tomorrow. Through approximately one hundred works, you will discover how statuettes fulfil many different roles: as religious objects, carriers of memory, decorative elements, collectible pieces or even playful reflections on art history itself.
The guide places the works within their historical, artistic and social context and explores themes such as scale and variation, the use of materials, craftsmanship and serial production, and the interaction between “high” and “low” art. The tour features artists such as Marthe Donas, Oscar Jespers, Jozef Cantré and Constant Permeke, as well as contemporary voices including Aline Bouvy and Pascale Marthine Tayou.
The tour invites close looking and reflection. How does an artwork change when it is reduced in scale? What does it mean to literally bring art into the home? And why do small sculptures continue to fascinate us?
Practical information
Target audience: Adults
Duration: 1.5 hours
Price: €100 per guide
Group size: max. 20–25 people per guide
Languages: Dutch, French, English or German
Location: Venetian Galleries, Ostend
A deeper exploration of the timeless role and meaning of small sculpture, in a unique seaside setting.
Book this guided tour below and discover how small sculptures tell a great history of art.