<i>The Thinker</i> by Auguste Rodin was first modeled in 1880.
The Hillstrom Museum of Art at Gustavus Adolphus College is currently presenting Rodin: In His Own Words, Selections from the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation.
The exhibit, which will run through Tuesday, April 22, pairs bronze sculptures from throughout the long and productive career of the great French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) with contemporary texts, from Rodin’s letters and from publications by himself and others, that explicate the artist’s thoughts on specific works and his philosophy of art in general.
Rodin is considered to have been one of the greatest sculptors of the Western tradition, on par with artists such as Michelangelo (1475-1564), Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), and Antonio Canova (1757-1822). Rodin was highly influential — inspiring countless artists who followed him.
Sculptor Paul Granlund (1925-2003), who served for many years as the Sculptor in Residence at Gustavus, frequently cited Rodin as a primary influence on his own figural work in bronze. One sculpture in the exhibition, Rodin’s Three Faunesses, was a particular inspiration for Granlund’s 1964 bronze titled Flower, which he created after seeing a cast of Rodin’s bronze in a Paris gallery.
Among the sculptures in the exhibition are such famous works such as The Thinker, Burghers of Calais, First Maquette, and Saint John the Baptist Preaching.
This exhibition has been organized and made possible by the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Foundation. Its appearance at the Hillstrom Museum of Art is supported by a generous grant from the Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation.
Events and exhibits at the Hillstrom Museum of Art are free and open to the public. Museum hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays and 1-5 p.m. on weekends. For more information visit the museum’s website at gustavus.edu/oncampus/finearts/hillstrom.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510