World of Rodin to Be Revealed

By Ines Min

Staff Reporter

An extensive Rodin exhibition opens at the Seoul Museum of Art, Friday, for the country's first retrospective of the sculptor once called "Michelangelo reincarnated."

The gallery will feature 180 works in collaboration with the Musee Rodin in Paris, in the exhibition organized by the Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times. The showcase is particularly significant as it will be the first time selected pieces will be seen in an overseas gallery.

Due to the fragile nature of the plaster statues, the move has been carefully coordinated in order to ensure the safety of each sculpture. Though typically bronze reproductions are made for exhibitions outside of France, Seoul and Paris worked in conjunction in order to ship the originals. The authenticity is sure to be felt in the already captivating works of Rodin.

Categorized chronologically and thematically, the sculptures on display will include some of his earlier pieces. Popular artifacts that have been included in the exhibition are "The Thinker," "The Kiss" and "The Hand of God."

An artist of the heart, Rodin's 15-year-long tumultuous affair with Camille Claudel ― a woman 24 years his junior ― greatly influenced his pieces. From sensual works such as "The Eternal Idol" to the grace of "The Waltz," the sculptor drew upon the subject of Eros as inspired by his young muse.

A free ceremony for the public will be held Thursday at 5 p.m., ahead of the exhibition's opening Friday. It will run for four months until Aug. 22. General admission costs 12,000 won and the exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and until 8 p.m. on weekends. It's closed on Mondays. Visit www.rodinseoul.com for more information.