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General Description

Beginning, intermediate and advanced students of sculpture are welcome to join this intensive course in Figurative Sculpture, designed to further develop the student’s ability and understanding of human form and the structure of the human body. Exercises are tailored to meet the various levels represented by students in the class. Students spend one week studying the structure of the head, working on a human skull in clay. This prepares them for sculpting from life a life-size portrait and a 1/2 life-size figure. During the fourth week, students learn to cast with rubber/silicone. Each student casts one piece. The workshop is directed by Eran Webber and taught by FAA’s full-time faculty.

Additional Info

WORKSHOP CREDITS: 6 per session

Please note: The Florence Academy of Art expresses workshop coursework in credits to the equivalent of 1 credit for 20 hours of completed study. Academic grades are not awarded and there are no exams. Please see each course for total hours of study. Any final acceptance or recognition of hours of study or credits for workshop (external activity) is at the discretion of the Home University or institution in question and in accordance with each institution’s transfer policy.

Medium & Materials

Water based clay
Plaster

Although students will find all materials ready for use on the first day of class, the Florentine art supply store, Zecchi, offers workshop students discounted art supplies if they wish to purchase some for the course.

What’s Included

  • All materials and tools (students may bring their own wood modeling tools)
  • 120 hours Instruction in English
  • Individual critiques
  • Welcome Party in the gardens of the Budini Gattai Palace in Florence on the first Thursday of the workshop, to meet fellow students and faculty
  • Guided museum visit to the Bargello Museum with the Academy’s resident Art Historian to view major works by Renaissance sculptors
  • Summer Faculty Exhibition to view the latest work by FAA faculty
  • Access to the on-campus FAA Café where students may purchase breakfast, lunch and enjoy an afternoon aperitivo
  • Extended access to the studios and school facilities after class until 9 pm
  • List of housing recommendations

Faculty

Eran Webber, Director.

As Director of the workshop Eran Webber manages and coordinates all aspects of the curriculum and faculty.
Eran Webber grew up in an artistic environment on a kibbutz on the Carmel Coast of Israel. His artistic training began in high school and at evening courses in Tel Aviv. In 2007, he moved to Italy to study the fundamentals of classical figurative art and began sculpting at the Accademia di Belle Arti. Later that year, Webber was accepted into The Florence Academy of Art’s Sculpture Program and graduated in 2010. He was on faculty at the academy from 2010 until 2013 as Principal Instructor of the Sculpture Program. Webber has taught workshops in Europe, Israel, and the United States, and has exhibited internationally. His work can be found in private collections throughout Europe and the United States, and he is represented by Galerie Michael, in Beverly Hills, California. Webber is currently living and working in his sculpture studio in Israel, on the same kibbutz where he was born.

See more of Eran’s work in the Alumni Gallery and at www.eranwebber.com and @eranwebber

Eirik Arnesen (b. 1990), from Norway, received his education in the figurative arts at The Florence Academy of Art in Florence Italy, where he studied sculpture under Robert Bodem. His focus is on the human body and the goal is to produce carefully thought out works with solid construction and organic naturalism in order to create convincing images of the human body in accordance with the realist tradition.
Eirik currently is Principal Instructor of Sculpture at The Florence Academy of Art.

See more of Eirik’s work at www.eirikarnesen.com and @eirik_arnesen_art

Anna-Lena Cäcilia (b. 1997) grew up near Hallein, an Austrian city in the foothills of the Alps with a long tradition of wood-carving sculpture. There, Anna-Lena began training in sculpture at just 14 years old, studying under Josef Zenzmaier and later Johanna Schwaiger. She has collaborated with local art platforms in Hallein, such as the Galerie Schloss Wiespach residency, where she has worked with internationally renowned artists like Grzegorz Gwiazda.
In 2016, Anna-Lena moved to Italy to undertake a three-year academic program in figurative sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art. Already in her second year, she was awarded both the “Best Sculpture of the Year” and “Best Drawing of the Year” prizes. Her work has been internationally recognized by organizations including the Art Renewal Centre (ARC) and The International Arts and Culture Group (TIAC). Her pieces are part of private collections in Europe, North America, and South Africa.

See more of Anna-Lena’s work at @annalena_caecilia

Thor Larsen is a sculptor from Copenhagen, Denmark. He received his education at the renowned Rudolf Steiner School (1992-2004). After graduating from there, and following his passion for art, Larsen enrolled in the basic course for training to be a goldsmith at KTS (2004-2005), and later attended EUC to become a stone mason (2005-2009) graduating with a bronze medal. The search for academic sculpture brought Larsen to Florence, Italy, where he attended The Florence Academy of Art, graduating from the Sculpture Program in 2013. Larsen currently works from his private studio in Florence and is a Principal Instructor in the Sculpture Program.

See more of Thor’s work in the Alumni Gallery and at www.thorlarsen.net and @thor_sculp_thor

Mitch Shea is an American sculptor and draftsman born in Augusta, Georgia 1987. He attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California from 2007-2010 where he studied Illustration, Metalworking, and worked on a variety of public monuments in the Bay Area. In 2011 he relocated to Florence, Italy and began studying Sculpture and Drawing at The Florence Academy of Art.
During his study he was awarded numerous accolades and as a student began teaching in 2013. Mitch is now Director of the Sculpture Program at The Florence Academy of Art. He also holds regular artist residencies in Greece and Cyprus. His works accommodate a multitude of priorities; namely, a deep commitment to observing and engaging a subject in order to produce works that contain some of the gravity and physicality of the natural world. He is keen to work in environments which are composed of striations of historical epochs that draw from both Eastern and Western cultural milieus. His work may be found in private collections throughout the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.

See more of Mitch’s work in the Alumni Gallery and at www.mitchshea.com and @mitchshea

The Florence Academy of Art reserves the right to assign or reassign faculty as needed, based on scheduling and availability. While we strive to maintain consistency in our instructional team, specific instructors may change at any time. You will be contacted by the FAA Office should a change occur.

Location

ADDRESS: Via Aretina 293, Florence, Italy

* If the workshop or session is fully booked you may apply to be placed on our waitlist. Should we have a cancellation or a place becomes available, we will contact you.