Rodin’s Burghers of Calais: Under The Spotlight

Auguste Rodin is still justifiably recognized today as not only one of the greatest sculptors of all time, but also the father of modern sculpture. His monument to the Burghers of Calais is one of the best-known public sculptures in the world. So much so that Edward Horswell decided to curate an exhibition dedicated to the burghers in 2015. Having spent more than 10 years building one complete set, the Sladmore was fortunate to secure a second, which, coupled with the gallery’s current stock holding of burghers and related works, created a most informative exhibition: several examples of the same sculpture could be viewed together, affording rich comparisons. In this beautifully illustrated publication, Horswell explains how the monument came to fruition and looks at the casting history of the 50 separate works Rodin made on this subject and focusing on the five reductions made between 1895 and 1903. It also includes an essay by Patrick Elliott, Senior Curator at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, which looks at the monument and its influence on sculpture and sculptors from its first unveiling in 1895 to today.