AUGUSTE RODIN, CLAUDE LORRAIN, MODELED 1889, MUSÉE RODIN CAST 5 OF 8, 1992 , BRONZE, COUBERTIN FOUNDRY, LENT BY IRIS CANTOR.

In the late nineteenth century, there was no sculptor who captured the world’s imagination like Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). Renowned for his ability to breathe into the bronze medium a sense of universal humanity and emotional truth like no artist before him, Rodin was celebrated in his own lifetime and continues to draw fans to this day. Even those who may not know the name “Rodin” know Rodin’s work; his timeless Thinker and his Gates of Hell are emblems of modern art history and underline how Rodin mastered the ability to convey movement and form with a touch and style uniquely his own.

Rodin’s sculptures first arrived at the Polk Museum of Art for a major exhibition in 2022, the largest showcase of sculptures in the Museum’s history. Now, fourteen of Rodin’s bronzes have returned as part of an exciting long-term agreement with the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation. The loans coincide purposefully with the Museum’s 14,000-square-foot expansion, set to open in Fall 2024, with all fourteen sculptures eventually installed throughout the space of the Museum.