Lisa Urbanic

Working title: A Sculptural Space: The Display of Antonio Canova’s Sculptures and Copies in Private British Collections 1790-1830

Supervisors

• Professor Helen Rees Leahy (University of Manchester)
• Dr Megan Aldrich (Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London)

Overview of research

I am currently in my first year of research with a focus on the Italian neoclassical sculptor, Antonio Canova (1757-1822) and the impact of his sculptures on British country and town house interiors in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Themes for my project will include British collectors of Canova’s pieces, interior space and design of British country and town houses, the physical placement and movement of neoclassical sculpture in private houses, reproduction and copies of Canova’s works in the decorative arts and the art market through 1830.

Biography

After studying Film Production in Los Angeles, I had a career in advertising at a large agency in California.

In 2011 I left my job in the United States to pursue an MA degree through Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London in conjunction with the University of Manchester. In 2013 I achieved my goal of obtaining an MA degree and my thesis focused on a select number of Canova’s British patrons and collectors, which only furthered my interest in the sculptor.

I currently volunteer at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London in the Furniture, Textiles and Fashion Department while I research Canova’s sculptures in the United Kingdom.

Contact details

Email: lisa.urbanic@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk | lisa.urbanic@gmail.com