Rodin's Dance Obsession: MUDEC Exhibition Explores Sculptor's Ballerina Muse

The MUDEC in Milan, in collaboration with the Musée Rodin in Paris, presents an exhibition examining Auguste Rodin's fascination with dance. The show centers on fourteen terracotta statuettes of dancers, mostly on loan from the Musée Rodin, inspired by acrobatic performer Alda Moreno. Rodin, considered Michelangelo's contemporary heir, discovered dance in the late 19th century, attending Parisian ballets and avant-garde performances like the 1912 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun' at the Théâtre du Châtelet, which he defended against conservative critics including Le Figaro's director. He sketched dancer Vaslav Nijinsky and hosted famous dancers such as Loïe Fuller, Isadora Duncan, and Alda Moreno in his studio. The exhibition extends beyond Rodin's sculptures to include photographs from the Musée Rodin showing dancers posing with his works, and a section on Eastern influences, featuring traditional Japanese and Cambodian performances that inspired pieces like the 'Mask of Hanako' (1907). Two iconic Rodin masterpieces are also on view: 'The Age of Bronze' and 'The Thinker,' the latter a paradigmatic depiction of Dante Alighieri as a modern human metaphor. The curatorial approach uses Rodin's production as a springboard to explore dance across media and cultures.