Jean D'Aire
Jean D'Aire, 1889, Bronze
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840 – 1917)
#1983.0009.0001
Auguste Rodin is certainly an impressive figure in art. His work The Thinker is among the most recognized works in all of sculpture and his The Gates of Hell and Burghers of Calais are esteemed for their detail and mastery. As a young artist, Rodin was refused entrance to the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. He therefore went on to work as an apprentice and partner for a number of artists before his own commissions propelled him to international success. Jean D’Aire is a three-foot nude study for part of Rodin’s six-sculpture masterpiece, Burghers of Calais. The full Jean D’Aire figure in Burghers of Calais depicts a gaunt man with clenched fists and a stoic jaw who, along with five other citizens, walks to his execution. The six men had offered themselves hostages to the English in exchange for the ceasing of the siege on their city. Jeffrey Loria donated this sculpture and Rodin’s Grande Venus to Penn in 1983.
Location: Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall Atrium, Philadelphia PA
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