Rodin-Giacometti, Exhibition, Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid: 2 June-23 August 2020

This is archived material. It is for reference purposes only.

Featuring over two hundred works, for the first time the works of Auguste Rodin and Alberto Giacometti are being shown together in the same exhibition.

Hosted by the MAPFRE foundation’s Recoletos Exhibition Hall in Madrid, the Rodin-Giacometti exhibition is offering you the chance to observe the works of Auguste Rodin (France, 1840-1917) and Alberto Giacometti (Switzerland, 1901-1966). Although these two men never actually met, together they made important contributions to 19th and 20th-century European sculpture.

Throughout his career, Rodin broke away from artistic traditions. Instead of placing emphasis on decoration and mythology like many of his contemporaries, Rodin tried to make his sculptures as realistic as possible. Initially, this didn’t actually bring him much success. Works such as his ‘Age of Bronze’ which depicted a life-sized nude figure were criticised for neither holding an obvious meaning nor commemorating an historical event. However, his reputation soon improved and by the turn of the century he was a world famous artist. Giacometti’s artistic style was different to Rodin’s. Unlike the life-size and realistic nature of Rodin’s works, Giacometti’s sculptures are noteworthy for being extremely thin and stretched out. His ‘Grande Femme Debout I’, for example, depicts a pencil-thin woman with elongated arms and legs. 

This exhibition still allows you to observe the similarities between the two artists. Both were fascinated by the human figure and used facial expressions and gestures to portray emotions such as fear, pain and anguish.

Patricia Matisse Alberto Giacometti en el parque Eugène Rudier de Vésinet posando entre Los Burgueses de Calais, de Auguste Rodin, 1950 Archivos Fondation Giacometti, París
Patricia Matisse Alberto Giacometti en el parque Eugène Rudier de Vésinet posando entre Los Burgueses de Calais, de Auguste Rodin, 1950 Archivos Fondation Giacometti, París

Temporarily Closed !

Opening Hours

Monday:
14:00 - 20:00
Tuesday:
10:00 - 20:00
Wednesday:
10:00 - 20:00
Thursday:
10:00 - 20:00
Friday:
10:00 - 20:00
Saturday:
10:00 - 20:00
Sunday:
11:00 - 19:00