Auguste Rodin, Céramiste

Touring the Hirshhorn’s Sculpture Garden, one might not realize that Rodin, creator of the massive bronze Burghers of Calais and Monument to Balzac, was also expert in the delicate art of ceramics. After completing studies at the Petite École, Rodin was employed as a ceramic decorator at the Sèvres Porcelain Factory from 1879 to 1882 and occasionally through the 1880s under artistic director Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, who recruited Rodin for his extraordinary modeling skills which walked the line between sculpture and drawing. This remarkable output is represented by this volume, number 372 of 600 numbered copies printed on beautiful Vergé fort paper. The plates are produced by Léon Marotte using the photomechanical heliotype, or collotype process, which produces beautiful, extremely detailed images that illustrate both Rodin’s preparatory drawings and the finished products. The introductory text is by Rodin’s friend and champion of the French avant-garde, Roger Marx. With more than 20 works by the sculptor, the Hirshhorn is one of the largest Rodin collections in North America.