Rodin at the Brooklyn Museum: The Body in Bronze

Rodin: The Body in Bronze showcases the work of Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917), one of the most celebrated sculptors in European art, through approximately fifty remarkable bronzes from the Brooklyn Museum's collection. Rodin heralded a new era in sculpture during the late nineteenth century, and each phase of his prolific career is represented in this exhibition, including both small and monumental works related to his best-known commissions: The Gates of Hell (begun 1880), the Monument to Balzac (1891–98), and The Burghers of Calais (1884–95). Also featured are some of his sensitively rendered studies of hands as well as fragments of ancient sculptures from our collection that are similar to those that inspired Rodin.

Rodin: The Body in Bronze highlights the extraordinary tension in Rodin’s work between the figure itself and abstract form, allowing the fluid contours, animated surfaces, and emotional presence of these bronzes to emerge fully. The presentation places the works in their historical context, examining Rodin’s legacy and reputation, and exploring his sculptural practice and the bronze casting process.