Totem: The Untold Story of Sculpture

'Groundbreaking' KATY HESSEL'Lively and passionate' SIR ANTONY GORMLEY'A revelation' KATE BRYAN

For forty thousand years, we have been carving and moulding, shaping and chiselling, feeling our way and sensing our place in the world through sculpture. In this accessible, story-led journey into the heart of sculpture, renowned art historian and curator Jo Baring explores creativity, memory and why we have been driven to make art in this medium since the very beginning of humanity. She examines sculptures from the pre-historic Lion Man figure found in a German cave, to an ancient Mayan pyramid that conjures a serpent made of shadows and icons of the Italian Renaissance such as Michelangelo's devastating Pietà. Along the way, we encounter in a fresh light the work of twentieth century and contemporary giants such as Alberto Giacometti, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Constantin Brâncusi, Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama and Antony Gormley, among others. Lyrical and beautifully illustrated, Totem is a celebration of art, those creating it and those it means something to.

Author: Jo Baring
Format: Hardback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Canongate Books
Published: 10 September 2026
ISBN: 9781837265237