The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin at the Legion of Honor

By Martin Chapman

book cover of The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin at the Legion of Honor

The work of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin lies at the heart of the Legion of Honor. His art is in evidence as visitors arrive at the museum, where the massive statue The Thinker dominates the Court of Honor. Entering the building through the main doors, guests immediately discover the full range of Rodin's output in galleries radiating from the Rotunda, including his poignant statue The Age of Bronze. This impressive collection includes lifetime casts of the sculptor's bronzes and marbles as well as a wide spectrum of his plasters, models, and fragments, which make the Legion one of the most significant repositories of Rodin's work in the United States.

The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin at the Legion of Honor guides readers through Rodin's career as illustrated by some of his finest works, including his early statues, his first successful pieces, sculpture for the Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Calais, portraits, and the fragments and models that reveal his working methods. Published on the centenary of Rodin's death, this volume is supplemented with a history of the collection, newly commissioned photography of the museum's key objects, a brief biography, and archival photography of the artist in his studio to underscore his significance as the father of modern sculpture.

Authors

Martin Chapman is curator in charge of European decorative arts and sculpture at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. His recent publications include Marie-Antoinette and the Petit Trianon at Versailles, Royal Treasures from the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette, and The Salon Doré from the Hôtel de La Trémoille. He also wrote an introduction to the revised edition of Big Alma: San Francisco's Alma Spreckels.

Latest publications