Rodin sculpture exhibition now open in Shanghai

"I see the whole truth and not just the surface truth, I accentuate the lines that best express the spiritual stage I interpret," sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) once said.

The much-anticipated exhibition "Rodin: Figure Charnière vers la Modernité" is on show at Centre d'Art Rodin (Shanghai).

Rodin and the ancient Greek Phidias and Renaissance artist Michelangelo are recognized as the three leading Western sculptors.

The newly opened Centre d'Art Rodin (Shanghai) is a partner of Musée Rodin, and in academic partnership with China Sculpture Institute and Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts.

Located in the heart of the Pudong riverside and transformed from the former French Pavilion of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, Centre d'Art Rodin (Shanghai) covers a main exhibition space of 4,200 square meters.

Centred around the permanent exhibition highlighting authentic works by Rodin, Centre d'Art Rodin (Shanghai) seeks to facilitate academic exchanges and artistic practices among artists, researchers, educators and students by organizing feature exhibitions of artists, both domestic and international, hosting seminars, as well as developing art initiatives.

The exhibition consists of six main chapters and two special chapters, bringing together 106 works of Rodin's sculpture, painting, ceramics and video. These include national treasures from the Rodin Museum in France, such as "The Thinker," "The Age of Bronze," "Eve," "Balzac," and "The Righteous Folk of Calais." The original editions of these works are presented for the first time in Shanghai, also the first time on such a large scale in China.

One of the highlights is "The Age of Bronze," Rodin's first truly person work.

The sculpture was created while he was living in Brussels. It was completed after his return from a trip to Florence, where he was exposed to the work of Michelangelo.

The sensitive and vibrant modeling of the statue, which a young Belgian soldier posed for, is the result of a close study of all the profiles of the model. Rodin does not favor any angle of view, and goes so far as to remove all attributes in order to free the gesture and allow the sculpture to unfold in space.

The exhibition tries to chronicle Rodin's alteration in his art styles.

With his relentless pursuit of truth and nature and his pioneering creative expression and sculptural language, Rodin accomplished the transcendence of the classical tradition and opened up a new direction for the development of modern sculpture. As a result he is regarded as the "father of modern sculpture."

Rodin loved and excelled in tragic themes, such as "The Gates of Hell," the most ambitious work of his life which is also on show.

In 1880, Rodin was asked to design a bronze gate for the future Museum of Decorative Arts (a plan for the museum that never came to fruition), which was inspired by the "Divine Comedy," especially its inferno, by the Florentine poet Dante (1265-1321).

Rodin passionately devoted nearly 10 years to the project. He waited until 1900 to show it in the Pavilion of the Alma in Paris.

If you go:

Date: 11am–7pm (closed on Mondays), permanent exhibition

Admission: 120 yuan, please buy tickets through WeChat mini program:罗丹艺术中心

Address: Bldg 1, 1929 Shibo Avenue

浦东新区世博大道1929号1幢(上海世博文化公园原法国馆)