RODIN at the Arthur Ross Gallery!
September 25, 2013
AUGUSTE RODIN: THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE Selections from the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Collections
on view at the Arthur Ross Gallery through December 22, 2013
RODIN Summer ended on a very exciting note when 20 breathtaking sculptures made their cross-country exodus from L.A. to Philadelphia for the August 17 opening of Auguste Rodin: the Human Experience. The exhibition features bronzes lent from the Iris & B. Cantor Foundation, and one additional sculpture, Jean d’Aire, which is on loan from the University of Pennsylvania Art Collection (check out the Office of the Curator’s website www.upenn.edu/curator for more information on the University Collection).As we now gleefully anticipate the bright hues and cooler temperatures of the fall, the Gallery hosted an opening celebration for the Rodin exhibition on September 6, 2013. Cantor Foundation Executive Director, Judith Sobol, led attendees on a lively tour of the exhibit and the often scandal-ridden life of Rodin. Anita Allen, Vice Provost for Faculty, offered a warm welcome from the Office of the Provost. Rodin, widely known as one of the greatest sculptors since the Italian Renaissance, created works which at their core, emote raw human emotion. His pioneering work often deconstructed the body into fragments or partial figures that reveal human pathos, vitality and beauty. “Sometimes life comes full circle. I have a deep and personal relationship with the work of Auguste Rodin. I taught directly from his sculptures for my 19th century French art course in the Musee Rodin for 10 years in Paris….Twenty years later, I confess that Rodin still intrigues me – as I have experienced so many of the joys and sorrows Rodin evokes in his sculptures.” (Lynn Marsden-Atlass ARG Director and University Curator) Marsden-Atlass took full advantage of the Gallery’s Gothic windows, so that the bronze sculptures are set against the light and lush greenery of the Shakespeare garden. The cool green walls of the Gallery set against the patina of the bronzes, brings indoors the airy feel of a Parisian sculpture garden. The exhibition is the 5th in the series of exhibitions celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Arthur Ross Gallery, and will continue until December 22. FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS If you are a Friend, Patron’s Circle or Donor Circle of the ARG you will enjoy special VIP events such as the September 26 private tour of the Rodin Museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with Jennifer Thompson, PMA’s Associate Curator. Renew or join today so you can enjoy these exclusive benefits! WEEKEND TOURS The ARG Student Docents, organized by Intern Marlena Mattai, will be giving tours of the Rodin exhibition in the Gallery at 1:00pm and 3:00pm on Saturdays and Sundays beginning September 28. Free to all. PROGRAMS AND EVENTS The Gallery has a wide range of programs, including concerts, film, and a scholarly symposium. There is something for everyone. Call or email your reservations arg@pobox.upenn.edu or 215.898.3617), space is limited! Sunday, September 22, 3-5pm Daedalus Quartet Concert Arthur Ross Gallery (inside of the Fisher Fine Arts Library Building) Min-Young Kim and Matilda Kaul, violins Jessica Thompson, viola Thomas Kraines, cello The Daedalus Quartet performed works by Beethoven, Britten, and Smetana Sponsored by the Department of Music and the Arthur Ross Gallery Wednesday, October 2, 5:00pm Concert by Dolce Suono Ensemble Mimi Stillman, flute Allen Krantz, Guitar A performance of music by Mozart, Piazzolla, Faure, and Daniel Doriff. Doriff is a Philadelphia-based composer who will introduce his “Serenade to Eve: After Rodin”. Reception to follow Wednesday, October 16, 5:00pm Film Screening Camille Claudel The life of French sculptor Camille Claudel and her passionate relationship with Auguste Rodin is portrayed in the biographical drama, featuring acclaimed performances by Isabelle Adjani and Gerard Depardieu. Friday November 8 1-4 pm SYMPOSIUM Auguste Rodin: The Human Experience $25 per person FREE to Students with Penn ID Call 215.898.3617 for more details Speakers: Juliet Bellow, Assistant Professor, Department of Art, American University “Modeling Dance: Art and Entrepreneurship in Rodin’s Late Career” Linda Kim, Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History, Drexel University “Threshold States: Women Artists Negotiating Boundaries in Rodin’s Studio” Jennifer Thompson, The Gloria and Jack Drosdick Associate Curator of European Painting and Sculpture before 1900 and the Rodin Museum at the Philadelphia Museum of Art “’I thought I would like more than one’: Jules Mastbaum and collecting Rodin for Philadelphia” Moderators: Andre Dombroski, Assistant Professor, Department of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania; Lynn Marsden Atlass, Director of the Arthur Ross Gallery and University Curator.