rodin visiting istanbul

[cek]

in case istanbul is on your route....

http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu/rodin/index.php

[Merlion]

Hi Cek,

I like Rodin's sculptures, but it is of course too far away for me to drop in to see the exhibits.

On the other hand, about two months ago I joined a tour to Turkey and did stay a few days in Istanbul. It is a nice and friendly city spanning Europe and Asia, with a large variety of things to see and do. Among other places, I visited your Archeological Museum and enjoyed viewing its very good sculpture collections.

[cek]

oh how nice

if only i knew you earlier.
the arch. museum in istanbul has one of the biggest collection of ancient history as"far as i know incomperable. the rest of the collection is in britain however. smuggled or acquired legally in late 19 th century.

hope you enjoyed your stay here.
especcially the bosphorus with tasty fish and mezes.

if you need anything from istanbul dont hesitate to post me a note
by the way let me send you a work of mine called '' istavrit '' a common fish of the turkish seas.

[Merlion]

Here are some news about this Rodin Sculpture Exhibition at Istanbul. It proves to be quite popular. It is interesting that female visitors outnumber male visitors by about 2 to 1.

'Master Sculptor Rodin in Istanbul' draws 35,000 visitors (http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=50084)

The “Master Sculptor Rodin in Istanbul,” exhibition at Istanbul's Sakıp Sabancı Museum has so far seen a total of 35,000 visitors, announced museum director Nazan Ölçer. The exhibition features the work of great French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Ölçer said the visitors showed great interest in the exhibition, which opened on June 13, 2006.

“Among the visitors, 39 percent are male and 61 percent are female. The 36-45 age-group was the most common, constituting 27 percent of our visitors, while the 0-18 age group was the least, with 11 percent,” she said.

She noted that the exhibition had also been attended by a group of 54 visually-impaired and mentally-disabled visitors as part of specially organized programs by the museum, adding, “In addition to the group visit, a number of physically-disabled visited the event individually: Our museum is designed to allow for their visits.” ......

The exhibition features 203 pieces on loan from the Rodin Museum in Paris, including drawings and watercolors by Rodin as well as antique Greek and Roman statues that inspired his work. Visitors have the chance to view 22 works in plaster, two in marble, 79 in bronze and 58 drawings by the artist in the exhibition, which will run until the end of summer.

[gwarseneau]

Rodin in Instanbul?

What does Auguste Rodin’s 1916 Will really say?

REPRODUCTIONS RIGHTS OF THOSE OBJECTS GIVEN BY HIM
This is answered on page 285 in the National Gallery of Art’s published 1981 Rodin Rediscovered catalogue. In her “Observations on Rodin and His Founders” essay, the former Musee Rodin curator Monique Laurent documents some of the details of Auguste Rodin’s 1916 Will and his donation to the State of France. In part, Auguste Rodin’s Will states: “notwithstanding the transfer of artistic ownership authorized to the State of M. Rodin, the latter expressly reserves for himself the enjoyment, during his life, of the reproduction rights of those objects given by him.” Clearly, the State of France was given the right to reproduce Auguste Rodin original plasters into bronze.

This perception is confirmed in the National Gallery of Art’s published 1981 Rodin Rediscovered catalogue. On page 279 in his “An Original in Sculpture” essay, the professor at the University of Paris and former director of the Museums of France Jean Chatelain writes: “When the twelfth copy of ‘The Burghers of Calais’ is cast, the same plaster model will be used as was used the first time in 1894, but of course different craftsmen will carry out the casting.”

Unfortunately, that is not the case.

MUSEE RODIN VIOLATES AUGUSTE RODIN’S WILL
The Musee Rodin curator Antoinette Romain, on the Musee Rodin’s www.museerodin.fr/welcome.htm website, writes: “Consequently, whenever it is decided to release a new "subject", a copy is first made from the old mould which can be sent without risk to the foundry where it undergoes the necessary preparations for casting. It is coated with an unmoulding agent, usually in a dark colour, and cut, before being cast again. This practice not only ensures absolute fidelity to the original but also preserves the old plasters which are obviously more valuable since they were made during the lifetime of Rodin.”

In otherwords, by the Musee Rodin avoiding sending the hypothetical original plasters to the foundry, they have willingly given up the authentic original surface details made by the working fingers of Rodin himself or that Rodin approved through his collaboration with his “sculpteur reproducteur habituel” Henri Lebosse. Each time the surface of one of these subjects is approximated by the necessary crude handling of the materials used in the reproduction processes, there is visible change. The resulting pieces may be interesting to look at, but it is an absurdity to pretend they are just the way Rodin would have wanted and intended for them to appear.

Gary Arseneau