Sculpture blockbuster will grace Tate Britain

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Tate Britain is to present 30 Neoclassical works, including Antonio Canova's The Three Graces, in an exhibition examining how the form flourished from about 1760 to 1860.

British connoisseurs rediscovered a passion for the classical style during this period, partly fuelled by the discovery of Roman ruins at Pompeii in 1748 and the growth in travel to Italy.

They commissioned and bought works by artists such as Joseph Wilton, Joseph Nollekens and Thomas Banks for their country estates, where many remain to this day.

Marjorie Trusted, a curator at the Victoria and Albert museum who is working with the Tate on the exhibition, said the works were a crucial part of art history, and in accomplishment often surpassed the painting of the period.

But as the 19th century wore on, Neoclassical became a term of abuse and the works came to be viewed as lacking life and emotion.

The logistics of moving heavy figurative sculpture has contributed to the small number of exhibitions since. The Neoclassical period has not been examined with sculpture in London since the V&A and Royal Academy shows of 1972.

Ms Trusted said: "In one sense, if you look at that period, the sculpture is more exciting than the painting. There were so many very, very important sculptors in Britain - and elsewhere in Europe - doing the most extraordinary things.

"We have deliberately chosen sculptures that we thought were stunning so that people would have that sense of excitement." In their time, the works were created as objects for display and contemplation. Many focus on the young bodies of men and women, although several busts are of older figures.

Some may be unfamiliar even to sculpture experts. One work is coming from Stockholm and another couple from the Getty Museum in America.

The exhibition is part of the Tate's efforts to draw sculpture more fully into the mainstream history of British art, often dominated by painting.

The Return Of The Gods: Neoclassical Sculpture is at Tate Britain from Monday until 8 June. Admission is free.