ExhibitionJune 24, 2021
Making of Rodin at the Tate Modern
The Ey Exhibition: The Making Of Rodin will be on view until November 21, 2021, at the Tate Modern in London. Curated by Nabila Abdel Nabi, Curator International Art, Tate Modern, Chloé Ariot, Curator for Sculpture, Musée Rodin, Paris, Achim Borchardt-Hume, Director of Exhibitions and Programmes and Helen O'Malley, Assistant Curator, Tate Modern. The show offers a unique focus on Rodin's work in plaster, exploring Rodin's approach to making and his techniques like fragmentation, multiplication, repetition, enlargement, and assembling disparate elements.
The exhibition takes inspiration from the significant exhibition that Rodin presented in 1900 in a specially constructed pavilion at the Place de l'Alma in Paris. With sculptures from throughout his career clustered around the space. It resembled the artist's atelier, reinforced by his decision to exhibit the plaster rather than the bronze or marble he was best known for.
Despite taking center stage in Rodin's exhibition, the plaster casts were not recognized as relevant as the sculptures in the more traditional materials until well into the 20th century. However, his work emphasized on the process, materiality, and the creative accident upon the perfect finished work. His sculptures were the construction of thousands of modeling casts; the 'abattis' (giblets), for example, were multiple plaster casts of heads, arms, hands, and legs that the artist built for the "The Gates of Hell." None of the abattis belong to a single sculpture, but the fragmentation and accidents made the final sculpture.
Plasters casts in all sizes show how he continually experimented with fragmentation, repetition, and joining existing parts in unconventional ways. Some of his best-known works were influenced by this process, including The Burghers of Calais, which is represented here by the newly restored original plaster.
The exhibition is possible due to a collaboration with the Musée Rodin, who have offered Tate access to their collection. It features over 200 works, many of which have not been seen outside of France before.
The exhibition takes inspiration from the significant exhibition that Rodin presented in 1900 in a specially constructed pavilion at the Place de l'Alma in Paris. With sculptures from throughout his career clustered around the space. It resembled the artist's atelier, reinforced by his decision to exhibit the plaster rather than the bronze or marble he was best known for.
Despite taking center stage in Rodin's exhibition, the plaster casts were not recognized as relevant as the sculptures in the more traditional materials until well into the 20th century. However, his work emphasized on the process, materiality, and the creative accident upon the perfect finished work. His sculptures were the construction of thousands of modeling casts; the 'abattis' (giblets), for example, were multiple plaster casts of heads, arms, hands, and legs that the artist built for the "The Gates of Hell." None of the abattis belong to a single sculpture, but the fragmentation and accidents made the final sculpture.
Plasters casts in all sizes show how he continually experimented with fragmentation, repetition, and joining existing parts in unconventional ways. Some of his best-known works were influenced by this process, including The Burghers of Calais, which is represented here by the newly restored original plaster.
The exhibition is possible due to a collaboration with the Musée Rodin, who have offered Tate access to their collection. It features over 200 works, many of which have not been seen outside of France before.
Gallery
