The time of Rodin, the central artist in this exhibition, was also the time of other great sculptors such as Jean-Antoine Houdon, Aimé-Jules Dalou, Paul Dubois, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Edgar Degas and Denys-Pierre Puech. All of them mark their presence in this unprecedented exhibition dedicated to the pose in French sculpture, especially that prevailing in the second half of the 19th century and featuring three dozen sculptures from the collections of Carl Jacobsen (1842-1914) and Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955).

The exhibition, which opens this month in the Main Gallery of the Foundation’s Main Gallery, explores the ways in which French sculptors adopted the poses taught in the Academy before then adapting them in their creations, taking off down personal paths whether based on their academic learning or spurning such sources.

Five distinct sections provide the substance to the proposed theme, with the human figure omnipresent either inspired on timeless classical mythology or assuming a more realistic or intimate dimension.

This exhibition is jointly organised by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and by Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek of Copenhagen, which shall host it next year.