True Mastery: OKCMOA welcomes Rodin sculpture

In some respects, the world of Western art could be broken down into two periods: before and after Auguste Rodin.   

Before the French sculptor burst onto the scene in the late 19th century, sculptures were primarily seen as thematic and decorative. But Rodin was more interested in a raw, unfiltered style that drew praise and criticism — both voluminous.   

The master went on to create luminary sculptures such as “The Age of Bronze,” “The Thinker,” “The Kiss” and “The Gates of Hell.” All gained world-renowned acclaim as he became one of the faces of the Impressionist era and the Father of Modern Sculptures.  

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is currently hosting the exhibit “True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism,” which delves into the classical influences on Rodin’s sculpture, the artist’s focus on portraiture and his exploration of movement and the human body.

“Rodin was truly innovative and worked differently than sculptors who came before him. Rodin’s dramatic approaches to the human figure were best known to the public through his large, bronze statues,” says OKCMOA CEO and President Dr. Michael Anderson. “Additionally, the exhibition contextualizes Rodin within the work of his peers and addresses perceptions about the artist and his significance in art history,”  

The OKCMOA got its hands on the Rodin exhibit through a stroke of good fortune. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which organized the exhibit, is going through major renovations, and decided to loan out “True Nature” to select museums around the globe.   

However, when one of the two venues in Asia was unable to play host, the first call the LACMOA officials made in 2022 was to Anderson.   

“We were contacted by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, who, through their partners, received a recommendation that we could take the exhibition,” Anderson says. “We actually already had something scheduled, so we moved our schedule around so we could accept this because it’s been years since we’ve done a large sculpture exhibition at this museum. Because of the logistics of sculpture, they don’t travel very often. They tend to be expensive, especially to transport.”  

“Eve,” from “The Gates of Hell” commision by Auguste Rodin

“Jules Bastien-Lepage” by Auguste Rodin

Despite the cost and rescheduling on such short notice, Anderson knew immediately this was an opportunity his museum could not pass on.   

“When we received the news about the exhibition, for us it was a no-brainer,” he says. “We just had to do this one. We had been talking casually for a while about doing a sculpture exhibition, but the right one just never came up. There just aren’t many opportunities. So, for something like this to in effect fall in our lap, it was just too big of an opportunity for us not to pursue.”  

“Monument to Balzac” by Auguste Rodin

The True Nature exhibit features more than 100 pieces of artwork that celebrate the life and career of Rodin. That includes 50 pieces that come directly from the master himself: A few of the celebrated sculptures visitors will see include “Saint John the Baptist,” “The Burghers of Calais,” “The Shade,” “The Crouching Woman,” “Eve” and “The Prodigal Son.” There are also works from other masters of the Impressionist age such as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas and Paul Cézanne, who were contemporaries and rivals of Rodin.  

Due to the size of some of the pieces, Oklahoma City is the only U.S. venue that will have the complete 100-piece exhibition. That includes the “Monument to Balzac,” which stands 9 feet tall and weighs more than 1,900 pounds.   

“There just aren’t many opportunities to see historical, monumental sculpture in Oklahoma,” Anderson says. “Oklahoma City has a great public art tradition and it’s growing; we’re seeing more and more of it. But we don’t get a lot of opportunities to see these historical examples. There also isn’t the opportunity to see impressionist paintings like we have in this exhibition in many collections. There are a few in Oklahoma, but not many. So, it’s access to artworks that usually you’d have to travel to Paris or a few other cities to see, and that just doesn’t come along very often.”  

When Rodin died in 1917, he willed to the French state his studio and the right to make casts from his plasters. In 1956, France created several laws that limit the number of castings that can be made from his plasters and still be considered his work to 12. No more can ever be made.  

That means there are a limited number of venues on Earth where people can go see “Balzac,” “Eve” or any of Rodin’s work. And until Oct. 22, Oklahoma City is one of those sites.  

Anderson is encouraging art enthusiasts and those who know nothing about Rodin to come to the OKCMOA to take in the exhibit, take photos and experience the works of a true game-changer.    

“It relies a little bit on word of mouth, because until you see it, you don’t really conceive of how large these sculptures are and how large the exhibition is,” Anderson says. “In most places, if you hear there’s a Rodin exhibition, it’s not going to be 50 Rodin sculptures, and it’s not going to be monumental outdoor sculptures; they will be smaller sculptures for the most part. So this is a rare opportunity — even in the sense of what you’re actually seeing, not just the fact that it’s a Rodin exhibition, but that the quality of Rodin is pretty rare.” •

For more information or to purchase tickets to “True Nature: Rodin and the Age of Impressionism,” call 405.236.3100 or visit okcmoa.com.