This single-gallery installation explores French sculptor Auguste Rodin’s The Three Shades as well as his unique sculptural process. Often referred to as “the father of modern sculpture,” Rodin is considered one of the most renowned and influential French sculptors of the late nineteenth century. The Three Shades was originally created as part of The Gates of Hell, a monumental set of bronze entrance doors commissioned in 1880 for a decorative arts museum to be built in Paris. Though plans to construct the museum were abandoned three years later, The Gates of Hell became a source of great creativity for the artist and spawned numerous enlarged sculptural groups, including The Three Shades and Rodin’s most recognizable work, The Thinker.
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Image Credit: Auguste Rodin, The Three Shades, modeled ca. 1886, enlarged ca. 1901, cast 1997, bronze, 75 3/8 x 46 1/2 x 84 1/2 in., on loan from a private collection, © 2023 Christie’s Images Limited
