SUArt Galleries responds to Rodin sculpture claims

Dear Editor,

In response to the Letter to the Editor, “Artist disputes gallery exhibit’s authenticity,” the Syracuse University Art Galleries would like to comment on the authenticity claims of the Rodin sculptures currently on display.

Mr. Arseneau is well-known to the SUArt Galleries and to museums across the country. He wages protests about many exhibitions that include prints and castings made posthumously. In his opinion, he considers these works “fake.”

This is not an opinion held by the overwhelming majority of cultural institutions in the world including the College Art Association, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Singapore Art Museum and many other university galleries including the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame.

We are excited to present these sculptures as they reinforce our mission to offer the SU community a dynamic schedule of engaging and thought-provoking exhibitions.  As such, the SUArt Galleries has presented the full information, including the original creation date, casting date and foundry information regarding the Rodin sculpture we have on view this fall.

During his lifetime, Rodin at times licensed commercial foundries to cast unlimited editions of his works, resulting in thousands of sculptures. The concept of the “limited edition,” as it is known today, emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, when sculptors began to number their casts and a new desire for a “rare” work of art was born.

While some think posthumous casts take away from the purity of Rodin’s work, others are confident that Rodin fully understood both the process and the result of posthumous casting. In 1916, Rodin willed his entire estate, including his artistic property and the right to cast his works posthumously, to the nation of France.  Accordingly, since Rodin’s death in 1917, the Musée Rodin has been casting sculptures either from the molds left by the artist or from molds newly taken from his plasters. In 1956, the casting of each of Rodin’s works was limited by French law to twelve examples of each model. All evidence points to the faithful adherence to this limitation.

All the sculptures in the exhibition are on loan to SUArt from the Iris and Gerald B. Cantor Collections and was organized by the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, which promotes and recognizes excellence in the arts and enhances cultural life internationally through its support for art exhibitions and scholarship and for the endowment of galleries and sculpture gardens at major museums.

Sincerely,

Emily Dittman

Exhibition and Collection Manager, SUArt Galleries