Rodin at The Met, NYC

Rodin at The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Through January 15, 2018

Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

The Thinker 

Founder: Cast by Alexis Rudier (French)

Modeled ca. 1880 cast ca. 1910

Bronze

Overall (wt. confirmed): 27 5/8 in., 185 lb. (70.2 cm, 83.9 kg)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Thomas F. Ryan, 1910

Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

Orpheus and Eurydice 

Modeled probably before 1887, carved 1893

Overall (confirmed (wt. on pallet)): 48 3/4 × 31 1/8 × 25 3/8 in., 914 lb.

(123.8 × 79.1 × 64.5 cm, 414.6 kg)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Thomas F. Ryan, 1910

On the centenary of the death of AUGUSTE RODIN (1840–1917), The Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrates its historic collection of the artist’s work in Rodin at The Met,. Nearly 50 marbles, bronzes, plasters, and terracottas by Auguste Rodin, representing more than a century of acquisitions and gifts to the Museum, is displayed in the newly installed and refurbished B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Gallery (Gallery 800). The exhibition features iconic sculptures such as The Thinker and The Hand of God, as well as masterpieces such as The Tempest that have not been on view in decades. Paintings from The Met’s collection by some of Auguste Rodin’s most admired contemporaries, including his friends Claude Monet (1840–1926) and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824–1898), are presented in dialogue with the sculptures on display.

Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

The Tempest 

Carved before 1910

Marble

Overall (confirmed): 13 5/8 x 14 7/8 x 7 3/4 in., 73lb.
(34.6 x 37.8 x 19.7 cm, 33.1126kg);

Footprint of sculpture (confirmed): 14 1/2 x 6 1/2 in. (36.8 x 16.5 cm); 

Length of rod mount: 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Thomas F. Ryan, 1910

Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

Pair of Standing Nude Male Figures Demonstrating the Principles of Contrapposto according to Michelangelo and Phidias 

Ca. 1911

Terracotta

Height (each): 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 1987

The extraordinary range of The Met’s holdings of Auguste Rodin’s work is highlighted in an adjacent gallery (Gallery 809) with a selection of drawings, prints, letters, and illustrated books, as well as photographs of the master sculptor and his art. This focused presentation introduces visitors to the evolution of Rodin’s draftsmanship and demonstrate the essential role of drawing in his practice. It will also address Rodin’s engagement with photographers, especially Edward Steichen (1879-1973), who served as a key intermediary in bringing Auguste Rodin’s drawings to New York.

Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

The Embrace 

1900–1910

Graphite, watercolor, and gouache on cream wove paper

12 13/16 x 9 7/8 in. (32.5 x 25.1 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, John Stewart Kennedy Fund, 1910

Rodin at The Met begins a new chapter in the Museum’s long-standing engagement with Auguste Rodin. In 1912, The Met opened a gallery dedicated to Auguste Rodin’s sculptures and drawings—the first at the Museum devoted exclusively to the work of a living artist. Displayed in that gallery were almost 30 sculptures and, within a year, 14 drawings. During the late 20th century, the historic core of The Met’s Auguste Rodin collection was further enhanced by Iris and B. Gerald Cantor and their Foundation’s gifts of more than 30 sculptures, many of them from editions authorized by the artist and cast posthumously. Today, The Met’s holdings of Auguste Rodin’s art are among the largest and most distinguished in the United States.

Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

The Age of Bronze 

Founder: Cast by Alexis Rudier (French)

Modeled 1876, cast ca. 1906

Bronze

Overall (wt. confirmed): 72 in., 275 lb. (182.9 cm, 124.7 kg)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. John W. Simpson, 1907

Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)

Eternal Spring 

Modeled ca. 1881, carved 1907 Marble

Overall (wt. confirmed): 28×29×18 in., 433 lb.
(71.1 × 73.7 × 45.7 cm, 196.4 kg)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Isaac D. Fletcher, 1917

Rodin at The Met is organized by Denise Allen, Curator in The Met’s Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts; Ashley Dunn, Assistant Curator in the Department of Drawings and Prints; and Alison Hokanson and Asher Ethan Miller, both Assistant Curators in the Department of European Paintings.

The exhibition is made possible by the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation.

MMA, New York
The Met Fifth Avenue
B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Gallery
www.metmuseum.org