In "The History of Western Sculpture. From the Middle Ages to Today," Alkis Haralambidis examines the trajectory of three-dimensional art, that is, the creation of images with bodily, tactile means, from the Middle Ages to the present day.

This is a study that not only traces the evolution of sculpture in the West over time but also investigates and highlights how people, in different historical, social, and aesthetic contexts, depict the world around them—objects, faces, and narratives—using carving, molding, casting, and construction techniques.

In the curated and aesthetically pleasing 208-page edition with 376 color images, it explores the relationship between the creator and the material and subject, also considering the viewer's perception as a shaping factor.

It traces the thread linking the elaborate iconography of medieval wooden churches in Norway with the clean forms of Brancusi and the totemic Caryatids of Kirchner, the petrified kings in the cathedrals of Chartres and Saint-Denis with the lean bodies of Giacometti, the cold perfection of classicalism of Canova with Michelangelo's and Rodin's non finito, Picasso’s cardboard guitar with Smith's and Serra's sturdy metal constructions, Moore's monolithic forms with Calder's airy mobiles, Chryssa's experiments and Saint-Phalle's bold proposals with Andrei's purist geometry, Oldenburg's and Warhol's pop frivolity with Beuys' profound intuitive creation, Takis' focus on the invisible forces of nature with the ecological and human-centered reflections of Kaniaris, Hatoum, and Ai Weiwei.

Finally, in response to the critical question "What is today’s mark of sculpture?" the author proposes the concept of three-dimensional art, that is, the creation of images with bodily, tactile means.

● Alkis Haralambidis is Professor Emeritus of Art History at AUTH.