Abstract

Post- view look at Rodin, autumn exhibition at The Royal Academy 23rd September 2006- 1st January 2007

Auguste Rodin (1840- 1917), the French artist is often considered to be one of the most influential sculptors of the modern age and is celebrated in a major retrospective of work at The Royal Academy this fall. Thanks to early collectors such as Constantine Ionides and Lord Leighton, and the purchase of the Burghers of Calais in 1911 by The Art Fund, Rodin was widely admired in Britain during his lifetime. With approximately three hundred works of sculptures, drawings and photographs, this is the first exhibition of Rodin in Britain for nearly twenty years with many of the pieces being shown for the first time.

This article will investigate Rodin in Britain during his lifetime (a major theme in the exhibition) and act as a post- view article related to the exhibition, with specific reference to pieces obtained with Art Fund help. Two out of four of the major works in the exhibition, The Burghers of Calais and The Kiss were Art Funded and this article will look to celebrate the work of The Art Fund in helping to give the nation the privilege of having these pieces permanently housed in Britain. As a result of this it will become evident at how this may have contributed to Rodin, a French artist being so highly regarded in Britain.

Proposal
Main article