This September, the Musée Rodin in Paris is opening a new outpost in Shanghai, China. The Centre d’Art Rodin is the first international branch of the French flagship institution, which centers on the celebrated sculptor Auguste Rodin. An inaugural exhibition will showcase an impressive selection of the artist’s most iconic works.
China’s New Centre d’Art Rodin
Located in Shanghai, the Centre d’Art Rodin was first announced in 2019. After five years and only a few updates, South China Morning News confirmed this week that the museum would open in September 2024. It will exhibit objects from the Musée Rodin’s vast collection, which includes thousands of sculptures and other works by the famed French artist Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). The Musée Rodin currently operates at two sites in France: a flagship museum in central Paris and a villa museum in nearby Meudon, where the artist lived before his death.
The inaugural Shanghai exhibition, Rodin: The Inheritance of Modern Sculpture, will feature fifty sculptures, including two of the artist’s most iconic works, The Thinker and The Kiss. The exhibition will also explore Rodin’s lesser-known interest in Chinese culture, featuring objects from his personal collection of Chinese art that have never been publicly displayed.
Centre d’Art Rodin Celebrates Diplomatic Ties
The opening of the Centre d’Art Rodin in Shanghai coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between France and China. The museum is supported by the French Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China. It is privately funded by the French-Chinese collector Wu Jing. Situated in the city’s Pudong New Area, the Centre d’Art Rodin is housed in the French Pavilion building, which was built in 2010 for the Shanghai World Expo.
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Sign up to our Free Weekly NewsletterThe French flagship originally planned to open its Chinese outpost in Shenzen, a major city near the Hong Kong border. However, Shanghai was chosen instead for its evolving art scene, economic growth, and existing relationship with Paris. In 2019, Shanghai’s West Bund Museum, which is operated by the Chinese government, began a partnership with Paris’s Centre Pompidou.
Who Was Auguste Rodin?
Auguste Rodin is remembered as the father of modern sculpture. He rejected long-held classical traditions and dared to explore subject matter beyond the conventional confines of mythology, allegory, and religion. For turn-of-the-century audiences, his sculptures were shockingly down to earth. At first, their expressive physicality, deeply pocketed surface texture, and complex emotional presence caused controversy.
Rodin’s unorthodox approach ultimately made him one of the most famous and influential sculptors of all time. After his death, the Musée Rodin was founded to house his substantial collection, which he donated to the French state. The museum’s flagship location in Paris and the artist’s former home in Meudon welcome 700,000 visitors every year. Shanghai’s Centre d’Art Rodin is similarly expected to attract a wide audience.
