The Musée Rodin has brought Auguste Rodin's collection of ancient Egyptian art to the United States for the first time, in an exhibition titled "Rodin's Egypt" at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW). The show presents about 60 objects across two galleries, including Egyptian artifacts Rodin collected from the 1890s onward, alongside a dozen of his own sculptures. Curated by Bénédicte Garnier and Roberta Casagrande-Kim, the exhibition highlights Rodin's deep engagement with Egyptian art and features loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as objects tied to the Brummers family of art dealers.
This exhibition matters because it sheds light on an overlooked aspect of Rodin's practice—his role as a collector of Egyptian antiquities—and demonstrates how ancient art influenced his modern sculpture. By placing Rodin's works in direct conversation with the artifacts he admired, the show underscores the enduring cross-cultural dialogue between ancient and modern art. It also aligns with ISAW's mission to connect ancient civilizations with contemporary audiences, offering a fresh perspective on one of the most famous sculptors in history.