Auguste Rodin: The Photographs

During his lifetime, Auguste Rodin employed a series of professional photographers to document his sculptures. Rodin also enlisted the use of the camera to document the changing stages of his sculpture, from clay maquette to completed bronze. He was one of the first sculptors to document this process from conception to realisation through photography.

Photographs exhibited in the forthcoming exhibition include those taken by Jacques-Ernest Bulloz, Eugène Druet and Pierre Choumoff, all of whom had different styles and approaches to the medium, which they brought with them to their depiction of Rodin’s work. Rodin, though, was always the artistic director of the endeavours, often directing them to explore different views, and to experiment with lighting effects and unusual angles. Rodin was also known to retouch the photographs surface to achieve the specific outcome he desired.

Photography quickly became central to Rodin’s artistic output, and in 1896 Rodin exhibited his photographs for the first time alongside his sculptures. He repeated this exercise on numerous occasions, most notably at the Pavillon de l’Alma exhibition in 1900, where over seventy photographs were displayed next to his sculptures and drawings. Collectively, the works presented in the exhibition illustrate the importance of photography to Rodin’s creative process.