The Musée Rodin in Paris is partnering with a new museum due to open in Shanghai in September called Centre d’Art Rodin.
Located in Pudong, Centre d’Art Rodin is a private museum authorised by the Musée Rodin. It will be funded by a board led by Wu Jing, a French-Chinese private collector who opened the Museum of European Art in Hangzhou in eastern China in 2017.
“It is not a subsidiary, and the private centre that will operate it does not depend on the [Paris] museum,” Amélie Simier, director of the Musée Rodin, told Le Monde. Simier signed an agreement with Wu Jing in April 2023.
French and Chinese cultural exchange
Musée Rodin’s artistic director, Kong Xianhe, told the South China Morning Post that Shanghai was selected as the location for the first international museum due to its cultural significance and vibrant art scene.
“The opening of Centre d’Art Rodin in Shanghai is an exceptional example of French and Chinese cultural exchange, aiming to feature Rodin’s artistic spirit and achievements, and underline the connection and mutual affinity between Rodin and China,” Kong said.
According to reports, the museum‘s opening exhibition will include around 50 works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, ordered by Wu Jing from the Musée Rodin.
The inaugural show will also display Rodin’s collection of Chinese art, as well as sculptures by other artists associated with Rodin, like his teacher Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse.
New museum debuts in September
The exhibition is titled ‘Rodin: The Inheritance of Modern Sculpture’ and is scheduled to run for two years.
The Centre d’Art Rodin is located in the French pavilion built for Expo 2010. This was designed by French architect Jacques Ferrier.
In 2019, France’s Centre Pompidou opened a new waterfront museum in Shanghai. Late last year, a contract was signed to renew the partnership between the Centre Pompidou and the Shanghai West Bund Development Group Co for another five years.
Image courtesy of Centre d’Art Rodin
