(French, 1840–1917)
Rodin’s use of the human figure to tell stories and express inner passions captivated Philadelphia cinema tycoon Jules Mastbaum. With his wife Etta, Mastbaum acquired more than 150 Rodin sculptures in bronze, marble, and plaster, along with hundreds of drawings, between 1924 and 1926. The couple created the Rodin Museum on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to offer a broad view of the sculptor’s work, from monumental works such as The Gates of Hell and The Burghers of Calais to small-scale groupings and studies of hands and torsos. These works reveal the innovations in subject matter, models, and materials that Rodin introduced to French sculpture in his pursuit of art that is true to nature.