June 17 – August 31, 1998

Despite the strength of bronze, today Rodins are rarely situated outside.  Thus Rodin at Rockefeller Center provided a unique opportunity to experience the artist’s monumental sculpture outside, as it was often during his lifetime.  Seen against the spectacular backdrop of Rockefeller Center, the exhibition consisted of eight outsized bronzes and exemplified Rodin’s revolutionary approach to the human figure.

Beginning on Fifth Avenue, The Three Shades invited visitors to Rodin at Rockefeller Center to walk along the Channel Gardens.  These gardens were beautifully landscaped in the tradition of French formal gardens of Rodin’s time.  At a central grove visitors found an intimate setting to view figures from the Burghers of Calais, Whistler’s Muse, Meditation and Monumental Torso of the Walking Man. At the western end of the promenade overlooking the Center’s Festival Café, The Thinker, one of the most celebrated sculptures of all time and perhaps Rodin’s greatest triumph, capped the exhibition.

Not unexpectedly, news about Rodin at Rockefeller Center was all over the media both here and abroad.  The exhibition seemed to capture the imagination of all who knew of it.  Japanese television featured the show, as did American television and newspapers.  Iris Cantor and Foundation then-director Rachel Blackburn were interviewed often; Iris was even on-the-air live with Katie Couric and Matt Lauer of the Today show.

This project was a collaboration between the Cantor Foundation and the Public Art Fund.