Musée Rodin to Increase Sculpture Sales During Pandemic-Produced Slump
- July 08, 2020 13:30
The Rodin Museum in Paris plans to sell more bronze replicas of the artist's original marble masterpieces after four months of coronavirus-induced closure has battered the museum's bottomline.
The largely self-financed museum dedicated to the works of master sculptor Auguste Rodin re-opened on Tuesday, but visitor attendance is limited and not expected to be enough to bolster finances during the pandemic.
Museum director Catherine Chevillot said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday that the museum’s goal is to secure a yearly minimum of 3 million euros in statue sales, a quarter of the museum’s budget. Rodin's popular “The Thinker” — in a maximum edition of 12—has already sold-out.
The museum will produce a catalogue and will reach out to new markets, possibly creating partnerships, including one with the Gagosian Gallery in the U.S., according to reports.
Prices for the statues vary from 50,000 euros to millions of euros.
Rodin himself sanctioned the making of limited edition bronze casts of his greatest works—which he donated to the French state. Chevillot says the museum has now quadrupled the number of works it is allowed to produce.
The museum also added a donation page.