Rodin-Sugimoto is an exhibition of sculpture and photography being held at the Gagosian gallery through to March 25th 2011. This most unexpected pairing of Auguste Rodin, the pioneer of modern sculpture, who formed the bridge from Classical and Renaissance style into contemporary art in the late 19th and the early 20th century and Hiroshi Sugimoto, one of the world’s most respected living photographers.
Three sculptures representing the final three decades of Rodin’s life are being exhibited, namely, The Three Shades (c.1880) from the private collection of Iris Cantor, Monument to Victor Hugo (c.1897) on loan from the Iris and B. Cantor Foundation, representing the artist deep in thought and The Whistler Muse (1908), on loan from Musee Rodin. The latter is a tribute to the American artist, Whistler, who wished to be represented in a symbolic rather than pragmatic form.
The photographs of Hiroshi Sugimoto are from his series, “Stylized Sculpture” portraying a selection of garments from the Kyoto Costume Institute. Each garment has been photographed on headless mannequins, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the clothes and not the personality of the model. The silhouette of the garments chosen represent the prototype shapes of 20th Century fashion.
The Curator of the exhibition, Kenneth Wayne, has written the accompanying catalogue and essay.
