On view through January 15
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917), Katherine Seney Simpson (Mrs. John W. Simpson), 1903, marble, National Gallery of Art, Washington, gift of Mrs. John W. Simpson, 1942.5.16.
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) is one of the most celebrated sculptors of the modern age. Due in part to the collectors, critics, and curators who helped shape the public image of his work, he is represented in museums and private collections across the globe. Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern follows his rise to eminence in the United States, beginning in 1893, when the first Rodin sculpture entered an American museum; expanding with a surge of interest from private collectors in the early 1900s and a spate of key museum acquisitions in the 1920s and 1930s; continuing through decades of disinterest at midcentury; and culminating with his popular and critical revival in the 1980s.
Nearly seventy sculptures and drawings in the exhibition feature many of Rodin’s best-known compositions as well as less-familiar works and numerous expressive and probing drawings. They show Rodin’s genius across an array of media, from terracotta and plaster to bronze and marble, and illuminate his creative process, from studies and maquettes to finished works—ultimately revealing this artist’s incredible daring and inventiveness as he continually pushed against and beyond traditional notions of sculpture.
Exhibition catalogue available for purchase at the Museum Shop and at museumshop.high.org.
RELATED PROGRAMS
HOMESCHOOL DAY: RODIN
Friday, November 4, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Join us for programming designed to serve small homeschool co-op groups and individual homeschool families! Homeschool Days are held four times during the school year. Visit high.org/event/homeschool-days-rodin for details. Free for members.
INQUIRING MINDS: RODIN IN THE UNITED STATES: CONFRONTING THE MODERN
Tuesday, November 8, 1–2:30 p.m.
Members: $14, Not-Yet-Members: $18
Discuss key artworks, movements, and themes on view in Rodin in the United States: Confronting the Modern. These conversations are participatory in nature; they are not lectures. Come as you are, and share your observations, thoughts, and questions. For more information, please email lifelonglearning@high.org or call 404-733-5034.
PATRON+ RODIN IN THE UNITED STATES TOURS
Wednesday, December 14, 2 p.m., and Saturday, January 14, 11 a.m.
At the Patron level and above, members receive exclusive invitations to docent-led tours of special exhibitions. Tours are offered monthly, and space is limited. Register today at high.org/member-exclusives.
TALK: FRENCH SCULPTURE: AN AMERICAN PASSION
Thursday, December 8, 7 p.m., Hill Auditorium
Since the founding of the United States, French sculpture has played a role in accompanying key moments of American history. What started as a nation-to-nation relationship focused on portraiture soon became much broader. Interest for French sculpture grew as a number of collectors began working with dealers at home and abroad and with decorators who placed bronze and terracotta works in imported French settings. Taste soon shifted to French modern sculpture, and the new style met its public in the 1920s, echoing the evolution of American society. Join Laure de Margerie, director of the French Sculpture Census, as she discusses how the United States is now the richest repository of French sculpture outside of France and how the High’s collection of French sculpture is a good representation of this interest. Visit high.org for tickets. Free for members.
