Auguste Rodin, the French Sculptor, is generally considered the founder of modern sculptor. He possessed a unique ability to model a complex , turbulent & deeply pocketed surface in clay. His work as ‘The Thinker, Monument of Balzac, The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais, and The Gates of hell.
As Francis Bacon says , ‘The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery’ & Rodin did just that. Created in 1890 & last sold in 1906, his monumental ‘The Gates of Hell’ was rediscovered when an auctioneer chanced upon what the family thought was a fake last year.
It has become a windfall for it’s unsuspecting owners. The course of art history is not entirely new to such serendipitous events. Robert Bereny ‘s ‘Sleeping Lady with Black vase’ a 1927-28 art deco portrait of his wife, Eta was rediscovered in 2009 when historian Gergely Barki spotted it in the background of the movie ‘Stuart Little’ during a Christmas watch with his daughter.
This painting thought lost was picked up by a set designer from an antique shop in California & found it’s way as a prop into the movie.
What we watched in the movie was the portrait but not knowing it, we just watched the movie & came back admiring ‘Stuart Little’. Little did we know about it’s importance.
Vincent Van Gogh’s unsigned ‘Sunset at Montmajour was in Christian Nicola Mustad’s private collection in the estate attic, after having dismissed as a forgery. It was discovered after Mustad’s death, finally authenticated in 2013.
‘Beauty Lies in the eyes of the beholder’. We cherish & admire whatever is beautiful to our eyes. Is it fake?? I remember watching ‘The Thinker’ at an exhibition in NCPA, Mumbai. Of art, I know nothing but knew I was watching something awesome. So many people coming in groups & admiring the collection.
Wondering how did they manage to ship it to Mumbai & more so the artist who made it!!!
I am still in awe.
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