OTTIN, Auguste
(b. 1811, Paris, d. 1890, Paris)

Modern Wrestling: The Hip Throw

1867
Bronze, height 145 cm
Musée Municipal, Barentin

In France the Neoclassicism had the appearance of the official style under the Second Empire. However, Neoclassicism seemed ill-adapted to the modern world. One of the first questions raised was that of the nude. Few sculptors, in fact, were able, like Auguste Ottin, to find a subject to justify it in the contemporary world. The idea for his Modern Wrestling: The Hip Throw came from two famous wrestlers who staged bouts in Paris in 1859, the "hip throw" being one of the best-known throws in hand-to-hand combat. However, the obvious conclusion is that this is simply a modern version of the famous antique statue in Florence known as the Athletes.