Plaster sculpture bought by Glasgow Museum from the artist in 1901 is ‘unlocated’
A statue by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, part of his famous Les Bourgeois de Calais group, is currently “unlocated” in Glasgow’s art collections, museum officials have said.
The plaster sculpture, bought by Glasgow Museums from the artist in 1901, was exhibited in Kelvingrove Park from 25 June to 30 September 1949, according to Glasgow Life, the organisation in charge of many of the Scottish city’s cultural venues. But since then, it seems to have been lost.
According to the Comité Rodin, which maintains a catalogue of the artist’s works around the world, the 2-metre sculpture represents Jean d’Aire, one of the figures in the Calais group.
Its director, Jérôme le Blay, told AFP that the disappearance was “regrettable, but must be put into the context of the times”, as plaster works did not arouse much interest in the 1940s.
