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Rodin at the Met
In 1912 The Met inaugurated a gallery devoted to the great French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). The first long-term installation at the Museum dedicated to a living artist, it was applauded by the press for showing a "collection of unique importance." Interviewed in Paris, Rodin pronounced himself immensely pleased by the room, because it was visited "by many working people, by artists and students." He donated a number of pieces from his studio to mark the occasion.
On the centenary of Rodin's death, this exhibition celebrates The Met's historic engagement with the artist. Two galleries display a selection of his work that represents more than a century of acquisitions. The objects on view range from sculptures and drawings how in 1912 to more recent and equally transformational gifts from Iris and B. Gerald Cantor, passionate Rodin collectors and philanthropists, and the Cantor Foundation.
The sculptures in this gallery reveal Rodin's ardent, enduring exploration of the human figure as he strove, in his words, to "imitate not only form, but life." The bronzes, marbles, terracottas, and plasters are juxtaposed with paintings by Rodin's contemporaries that evoke the context that shaped the sculptor's career: his complex relationship with the establishment, his wide-ranging professional friendships, and the international renown that he achieved at the turn of the century.
There is no defined path through the exhibition; visitors are invited to choose any work as a point of departure to explore Rodin at the Met. |