W hether it’s capturing a thought, an embrace, an outstretched arm or clasping hands, the work of Auguste Rodin is unmistakable. The French sculptor’s fascination with the human figure, and his lifelong effort to show the human body as it really is, made him a pioneer and a critical link between traditional and Modern figurative sculpture.
AUGUSTE RODIN, SHADOWS OF MAN AND CHILD, 1880. © MUSÉE RODIN / © JEAN DE CALAN.
The Grand Palais and Musée Rodin in Paris mark the hundredth anniversary of his death by bringing together some 200 examples by the artist, whose restless experimentation with form, scale and composition resulted in remarkable works in plaster, bronze, marble, ceramics and on paper.
AUGUSTE RODIN, THE CATHEDRAL, 1908. © MUSÉE RODIN / © CHRISTIAN BARAJA, STUDIO SLB.
Along with lesser-known works and famous pieces such as The Kiss and The Thinker are paintings, drawings and sculptures by artists inspired or repelled by Rodin, ranging from Picasso and Joseph Beuys to Annette Messager and Antony Gormley.
Other Rodin exhibitions can be found at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor (through 9 April) and the Groninger Museum in the Netherlands (through 30 April). The Rodin Centenary Exhibition is on view at the Grand Palais in Paris from 22 March through 31 July.
