B.
Christchurch Idol
Behind the scenes
We'd like to think that we know the Christchurch Art Gallery collection inside-out, and generally speaking, we do.
The underside of Eternal Idol, showing the penny sealed in place.
But up until last week, we had no idea that a 1961 penny was holding the display rod inside Rodin's Eternal Idol in place. It might not be standard archival practice, but it's worked a treat all these years.
Auguste Rodin Eternal Idol 1959. Bronze. Presented by the New Zealand Government from the New Zealand Fund in France For Cultural Development, 1964
Related
Collection
Auguste Rodin Eternal Idol
The embracing couple was a motif sculptor August Rodin returned to throughout his career. Here, a man adopts a posture of ardent reverence, kissing a woman on the stomach while kneeling with his arms held behind him. She appears to pull him closer with one hand, while the other touches her own lifted foot. This fluid bronze embodies the values of the Romantic movement of the nineteenth century, which emphasised sensual impact and personal expression. The apparent mutuality of attraction and power balance expressed here can be contrasted with how heterosexual couples were often depicted in the classical art tradition, with female figures as passive muses or powerless victims of sexual aggression.
(Perilous: Unheard Stories from the Collection, 6 August 2022- 21 July 2024)