Rodin Museum - Philadelphia

Philadelphia is home to the largest collection of Auguste Rodin's work outside of Paris.  Of course I couldn't pass up that opportunity.

The Thinker

 The museum is located on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which echoes the Champs-des-Elysses in Paris and the museum itself looks like it was lifted from France.

The Shade

Rodin (1840-1917) did not attend the Ecoles des Beaux-Arts in Paris himself but learned through years of apprenticeship with other artists. He was not as appreciated during his time as he is now because of the way he modeled the human body realistically - he was inspired by traditional art and themes but believed that art should be true to nature. He lived in poverty for many years, was accused of casting his first major piece directly from a model due to its extreme realism and human sized scale, and for years afterward had to make a living collaborating with other artists on public memorials and architectural pieces.

It wasn't until he was 40 years old that he became recognized for his work and started getting enough private commissions to stop working a side job at a porcelain factory.  As a matter of fact, he submitted 3 sculptures to the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago at the age of 53 and due to the fact that they were nudes they were hidden behind a curtain and were viewed only with special permission.  Surprising, actually, that their very forbidden nature didn't make them an instant hit!

At the entrance to the Rodin Museum towering bronze doors inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy have occupied the building’s portico since 1929. In 1880 Rodin received a commission to create The Gates of Hell for a new decorative arts museum that was going to be built in Paris. Though the museum was never realized The Gates became the seminal work of Rodin’s career, the commission that finally won him some financial freedom, and a key to understanding his artistic aims. He worked on the piece for 37 years and it was left in plaster at Rodin’s death.  The first bronze casts of The Gates of Hell were made for Jules Mastbaum, the founder of the Rodin Museum; one appears here and the second was given to the Musée Rodin in Paris.

The Gates of Hell

The detail is astounding, though the lighting was obviously difficult for photography with such a dark piece contrasting against the light background. Here's a little bit of close-up.

The Thinker was originally part of the concept of The Gates and the imagery was later removed and made into an individual piece.  The Kiss and The Three Shades were also drawn out from this work.

The year 2017 is the hundredth anniversary of Rodin's death and the museum's current exhibition features the artist's look at romantic love.  Pieces included The Kiss, The Minotaur, and Eternal Springtime, with other sculptures inside the museum and on the grounds as well.

Price for admission is suggested when you enter, but you can pay what you wish.  Whatever you pay can be deducted from your cost of admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which I wish I had known in advance so I could have planned to see them both on the same day.  The website states that there is a shuttle from the Museum of Art as well.  Now you know so you can plan ahead!