"Rodin: In His Own Words"
2005-07-10 until 2005-09-18
University of Kentucky Art Museum
Lexington, KY, USA United States of America

Beginning July 10, 2005, the University of Kentucky Art Museum will present Rodin: In His Own Words; Selections from the Iris and B. Cantor Foundation. This exhibition features over 30 sculptures by French artist Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), including well recognized pieces such as The Thinker. The exhibition runs through September 18, 2005. At the height of his career, Rodin was regarded as the greatest sculptor since Michelangelo. Straying from nineteenth-century academic conventions, Rodin created his own personal artistic expression that focused on the vitality of the human spirit. His modeling techniques captured the movement and depth of emotion of his subjects by altering traditional poses and gestures.

His pioneering work is a critical link between traditional and modern figurative sculpture. By the latter part of his life, Rodin had achieved success on an international scale. His work was in major museum collections in Europe and the United States, and he died with the knowledge that an entire museum in Paris would be devoted to his work. Revered by his contemporaries, his opinions and views on art were regarded with great respect and adoration. These views were disseminated through several books published under his name as well as by biographies, interviews, and countless letters. Together, these present a vibrant image of the great sculptor and his work.

The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation was established in 1978 to promote and encourage the recognition and appreciation of excellence in the arts, to support medical research, and to enhance cultural life internationally through the support of art exhibitions, scholarship, and the endowment of galleries at major museums around the world. More than 450 sculptures by Rodin have been donated to institutions throughout the world as part of an active arts support program. B. Gerald Cantor (1916-1996) and his wife, Iris, have received numerous awards and honors in recognition of their generosity. In 1995, President and Mrs. Clinton presented them with the National Medal of Arts for their outstanding patronage of the arts. In 2000, Iris Cantor was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the French government, a compliement to her late husband's earlier Arts and Letters award. The Cantor Foundation organizes and circulates traveling exhibitions on Rodin. To date, exhibitions have been seen in more than 140 venues in the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and Singapore. The Foundation also funds exhibitions organized by major institutions as well as assisting with publications on Rodin. Extensive information on the artist and the foundation can be found at www.cantorfoundation.org.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of Kentucky

Other Important Exhibitions in United States