RODIN in association with the Musée Rodin, Paris 15 September
Transcription
RODIN in association with the Musée Rodin, Paris 15 September
RODIN in association with the Musée Rodin, Paris 15 September – 15 December 2006 Coskun is delighted to announce a major Rodin exhibition in association with Musée Rodin, to celebrate the launch of their new galleries at 91 Walton Street, London. Coinciding with the Royal Academy’s Rodin in England, the exhibition represents an opportunity to acquire pieces from a selection of sixty key works, including forty original bronzes that relate to such masterpieces as The Gates of Hell, Burghers of Calais and The Whistler Monument; the museum versions of these works will be on show at the Royal Academy. Many of the bronzes on display at Coskun are being released for sale for the first time in the UK, having been cast posthumously in editions of twelve from moulds bequeathed by Rodin to the French State on his death in 1916. Gallery Director Gul Coskun worked with the Musée Rodin’s board of directors to select new works for casting and these will feature in the show: Roméo et Juliette, Pygmalion et Galatée and Polyphème et Acis. Coskun has been representing The Musée Rodin in the UK for six years, driven by the desire to fulfil the artist’s dream for his works to survive him and by a personal pledge to keep the Rodin legacy alive in this country. She says: ‘I knew that Rodin left his plasters to the French Government so that the work he left would come to life. However, there was no one keeping Rodin alive in England so I approached the Musée Rodin and explained my love for the work, offering to give it the platform it deserved in the UK. I hope that our new increased gallery space and sculpture terrace will inspire visitors even more with Rodin’s powerful presence.’ Dominating the exhibition in Coskun’s new five metre high space will be the monumental Homme qui Marche sur Colonne, a striking example of how Rodin took sculpture into the twentieth century, moving away from figuration and towards abstraction. Referencing this break with tradition, he said of Homme qui Marche: “I was often blamed for not putting a head on the Walking Man; but does one walk with one’s head?” The Gates of Hell marks a turning point in Rodin’s career. The artist had modelled bodies by the hundreds for the Gate and some of these became works in their own right. Coskun offers an unique opportunity to view these works at close quarters including Etude pour Ariane and Etude pour l’Homme qui tombe, which appear to the right and left respectively of Le Penseur; Assemblage: Martyre et Femme accroupie and Adéle Abruzzezzi, a figure that appears twice in The Gates scheme, posed for by the Italian peasant girl who was one of his favourite models. The exhibition also includes important plasters and signature works such as Femme Nu Agenouillee (le Succube), Eternal Printemps and Le Baiser that are well known to the general public. Dominique Viéville, General Heritage Curator,Director of the Rodin Museum says : ‘I wish to thank Gul Coskun for all her efforts to promote the oeuvre of Rodin in Britain for so many years, and express my firm conviction that the exhibition she is presenting today will meet all the success it deserves’. For further press enquiries and images please contact Theresa Simon Communications + 44 207 734 4800 [email protected] Gallery opening hours 10am-6pm Monday to Saturday 91 and 93 Walton Street, London SW3 2HP + 44 207 581 9056 http://www.coskunfineart.com Notes to Editors • • All exhibition works are for sale, ranging from £15,000 to £500,000. Foreword to the exhibition by Dominique Viéville General Heritage Curator Director of the Rodin Museum Foreword A major exhibition on the theme of the relations between Rodin and Great Britain will be held at the Royal Academy of Art from … to … At the same time as this event, the Rodin Museum, in partnership with the Coskun Gallery will present in London about forty original bronzes intended for sale. French legislation only permits twelve copies of each of these original bronzes, which have been produced from moulds included in Rodin’s donation to the French State in 1916. In addition to the studies connected with the monuments to Balzac, Victor Hugo and The Burghers of Calais, as well as the Whistler Muse, commissioned from Rodin in 1903 on the death of the painter James Mac Neil Whistler, the Coskun Gallery will display a series of sculptures illustrating how Rodin conceived his works in the secrecy of his studios and the silence of solitary creation. The aesthetics of fragmentation and assemblage, of deconstructing and restructuring, are the keys of an intimate creative now being discovered. This new viewpoint is far removed from the image of the dramatic and ideal beauty that sometimes prevailed in the eyes of art lovers. In the same spirit as the exhibition held at this art gallery in 2000, the works presented today affirm the role played by Rodin as one of the founding fathers of modern sculpture. They reveal the principal aspects of the research carried out by the artist, in keeping with the aesthetics he pursued throughout his life, that is to say, he eliminated accessories and superfluous details to focus on the essential, erasing all anecdotal references and highlighting the relationship between volume and space through the techniques of assemblage and fragmentation. I wish to thank Gül Coskun for all her efforts to promote the oeuvre of Rodin in Britain for so many years, and express my firm conviction that the exhibition she is presenting today will meet all the success it deserves. Dominique Viéville General Heritage Curator Director of the Rodin Museum RODIN AND THE HÔTEL BIRON By Gül Coskun In the shadow of the dome of the Invalides, at 77 rue de Varenne, stands the Hôtel Biron, built between 1728 and 1730. Unlike the other large houses in the quartier Saint-Germain, it is detached and is surrounded by three hectares (7.4 acres) of grounds, giving it the appearance of a real chateau in the heart of the city. The property was acquired by the maréchal’s death: initially it was rented out for public balls and was eventually handed over to the Société du Sacré-Coeur de Jésus, a religious organisation devoted to the education of young girls of aristocratic and noble birth. It was during this period that all luxury and superfluous elements were banished from the house. However, by the turn of the century, the property had become a temporary home to a number of artists including Henri Matisse, Jean Cocteau, the actor de Max and the dancer Isadora Duncan. Rodin himself took up residence in 1908 in the suite of south-facing drawing rooms. Although he continued to live and work in Meudon, Rodin was captivated by the beauty and wild charm of the Hôtel’s grounds. His drawings started covering the walls of his apartments, whilst his collection of Greek and Roman antiquities filled up the park. When the State bought the property in 1911, all the artists were asked to leave. Rodin, however, was given extra time and in 1912 the administrative council agreed to allow the sculptor to use the building for the rest of his days. It was at this time that Rodin devised a plan to hand over his collection, as well as his archives, to the State on the condition that a museum be devoted to him at the Hôtel Biron“I will bequeath to the state all my works, in plaster, marble, bronze and stone, together with my drawings, as well as the antiques that I have enjoyed collecting…And I ask the state to keep all these collections in the Hôtel Biron, which will become the Rodin museum, allowing me to stay here for the rest of my life.” The scheme was strongly supported by Claude Monet, Octave Mirbeau, Aristide Briand and Georges Clemenceau amongst others. However, a successful conclusion to the matter was difficult as Rodin’s art was still little understood: indeed it was sometimes even regarded as the work of the devil. Finally, after negotiations were further interrupted by the outbreak of war in 1914, Parliament approved the donation of his collections, photographs and archives, as well as all his works, including his drawings, in December 1916. Rodin died on November 17th 1917 and was unable to see the materialization of his dream. The Hôtel Biron opened to the public as the musée Rodin on August 4th 1919. Today, the musée Rodin has 500,000 visitors a year and is one of the most popular museums in France, after the Louvre, Versailles and the musée d’Orsay. The popularity of the museum not only reflects the fame of Rodin and his works, but also the special charm of the house itself and its grounds. It is not often that one is given the chance of strolling at leisure in the house of one of the greatest artists of the last century, whilst surrounded by the most stunning collection of art. Exhibition list RESERVED FOR PRIVATE COLLECTORS Femme qui se peigne N°03/08, Inv.Com 4358 Fonte E. Godard, musée Rodin 2002 Torse Centauresse et Torse féminin N° 02/08, Inv.Com 4150 Fonte E. Godard, © musée Rodin 1990 Torse Centauresse et Iris N° 03/08, Inv.Com 4156 Fonte E. Godard, © musée Rodin 1990 Torse Centauresse et Adolescent désespéré (à fondre) N° 05/08, Inv.Com à définir Fonte E. Godard, © musée Rodin 2006 Torse masculin du Baiser N° 04/08, Inv.Com 4267 Fonte E. Godard, © musée Rodin 1996 Apollon écrasant le serpent python N° 02/08, Inv.Com 4291 Fonte Coubertin, © musée Rodin 1996 Nu féminin agenouillé, penché vers l’avant N° 04/08, Inv.Com 4373 Fonte Godard, © musée Rodin 2004 Martyre, pm N° 02/08, Inv.Com 4243 Fonte Godard © musée Rodin 1995 Femme accroupie et Martyre (à fondre) N° 05/08, Inv.Com à définir Fonte Godard, © musée Rodin 2006 Balzac type G N° 06/08, Inv.Com 4047 Fonte Godard, © musée Rodin 1987 Giganti N° 03/08, Inv.Com 3971 Fonte Godard © musée Rodin 1986 Les trois Vertus (à fondre) N° 03/08, Inv. Com à définir Fonte Godard © musée Rodin 2006 La Création N° 03/08, Inv.Com 4345 Fonte Godard © musée Rodin 2000 L’Ecclesiaste N° 05/08, Inv.Com 4326 Fonte Godard © musée Rodin 1999 Mme Fenaille sur colonne N° 01/08, Inv.Com 4269 Fonte Coubertin © musée Rodin 1996 Ugolin de la Porte N° 01/08, Inv.Com 4379 Fonte Coubertin © musée Rodin Pallas au casque N° 06/08, Inv. Com 4275 Fonte Godard © musée Rodin 1996 La Mort (à fondre) N° 02/08, Inv.Com à définir Fonte Godard © musée Rodin 2006 Balzac jeune, (tête) étude d’après Dévéria N° 08/08, Inv.Com 4113 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1988 Homme qui marche sur colonne (à fondre) N° 05/08, Inv. Com à définir Fonte Coubertin © musée Rodin 2006 Muse Wistler, G.M N° 05/08, Inv. Com 4215 Fonte Coubertin © musée Rodin 1994 Muse Whistler, Torse N°02/08, Inv. Com 4135 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1989 New works Roméo et Juliette Pygmalion et Galatée Polyphème et Acis RESERVED FOR MUSEUMS AND INSTITUTIONS Eustache de Saint Pierre, Tête, Dernier état N°III /IV , Inv. Com 4254 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1996 Eustache de Saint Pierre Nu, 2eme maquette N°II /III , Inv. Com 3681 Fonte E Godard © musée Rodin 1982 Jean de Fiennes, Tête N°III /IV , Inv. Com 3849 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1985 Jean de Fiennes, 2eme maquette, version vêtue N°II /IV , Inv. Com 3949 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1986 Etude pour Ariane, étude N°II /IV , Inv. Com 4030 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1986 Buste de Balzac d’après Berthall N°IV/IV , Inv. Com 4330 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1999 Tête de Giganti N°II /IV , Inv. Com 3810 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1984 Muse whistler, tête N°II /IV , Inv. Com 3961 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1986 Muse Whistler, étude pour le monument N°II /IV , Inv. Com 4255 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1996 La nuit, épreuve double N°II /IV , Inv. Com 4256 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1996 Pallas au casque N°II /IV , Inv. Com 4288 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1996 Saint Jean Baptiste, Tête, M. Colossal N°IV/IV , Inv. Com 4123 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1989 Sphinge sur colonne N°II /IV , Inv. Com 4264 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1996 Etude pour le monument à Victor Hugo, assis seul et drapé N°II /IV , Inv. Com 4304 Fonte E. Godard © musée Rodin 1997 New works Roméo et Juliette Pygmalion et Galatée Polyphème et Acis • Rodin in England, Royal Academy of Arts Rodin's work will be celebrated in an extensive retrospective at the Royal Academy of Arts, this Autumn. Rodin, sponsored by Ernst & Young will include some 200 objects including works that have never before been exhibited outside France. This exhibition, open from 23 September 2006 - 1 January 2007, will be the first major Rodin exhibition in Britain for 20 years. Musée Rodin http://www.musee-rodin.fr/