1920
photographic
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Spirals of Muscles in Motion is a 1920 photographic by Umberto Boccioni, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
This sculpture shows a twisted, muscular figure caught mid-motion. The body is broken into sharp, angular shapes—like stacked blocks—that still feel alive. The head tilts back, and the arms wrap around the torso in a tight spiral. The rough, uneven surfaces make the form feel both solid and dynamic, as if carved quickly. The lighting carves deep shadows into the curves, highlighting the tension in the pose. Next, check out Boccioni, Umberto to see how his work pushed sculpture into the modern era.
A photograph by Umberto Boccioni from 1920, depicting spirals of muscle motion, is mounted on green card. It was part of a collection bequeathed by William Kineton Parkes in 1938, who sent questionnaires to sculptors in the 1920s to gather responses now held in the Archive of Art and Design. This image is one of many photographs sent to Parkes by the sculptors he contacted.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Umberto Boccioni was an influential Italian painter and sculptor. He helped shape the revolutionary aesthetic of the Futurism movement as one of its principal figures. Despite his short life, his approach to the…
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