Rodin's Egypt

From November 19, 2025, to March 15, 2026, the Musée Rodin, in collaboration with the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at New York University (NYU), is presenting Rodin's Egypt, the very first exhibition in the United States dedicated to the masterpieces of Auguste Rodin’s Egyptian collection.

Comprising over 1,000 objects acquired during the sculptor’s lifetime, this collection reflects Rodin’s deep fascination with Egyptian art and his admiration for its various representations of the human body across a wide diversity of works.

Thanks to an exceptional loan of more than sixty pieces, the exhibition in New York reveals the sources of inspiration that fueled Rodin’s creative genius.

About

"Antiquity is my youth"

The Musée Rodin holds an important collection of Ancient Egyptian works, acquired by Auguste Rodin throughout his life, as well as gifts from his circle of friends, artists, art dealers, and collectors.

Both sculptor and collector, Rodin found a unique inspiration in Ancient Egypt, which shaped his creative process. Having acquired over 1,000 Egyptian objects during his lifetime, without ever setting foot on the banks of the Nile, Rodin explored how Egyptian artists approached the human body, influencing his own imagination: lines and profiles, patterns and repetitions, fragments, assemblages, simplification, and monumentality.

The exhibition brings the sculptor’s Egyptian collection into dialogue with his own works, revealing the decisive influences of Ancient Egypt on his art. From modest figurines to majestic statues, Rodin’s Egypt invites visitors to juxtapose two aesthetics of the human form: Ancient Egyptian and Rodin’s very different vision, and to reflect on the diverse connections that unite them through the conversation the exhibition creates.

An exhibition of the Musée Rodin in collaboration with ISAW

On the occasion of Rodin's Egypt, more than sixty objects from the Musée Rodin are brought together in New York, illustrating the powerful inspiration Rodin drew from Egyptology and how he translated it into his own creations.

Curatorship

Concept and Direction : Bénédicte Garnier, Musée Rodin
Assistant Curator: Carl Walsh, ISAW
Exhibition managers and installation supervisors : Roberta Casagrande-Kim, Joanna Salicki, Hannah Townsend et Carl Walsh, ISAW
Exhibition designer: Ian Sullivan
Graphic designers: Laura Grey, Bella Bennett
Lighting design: Mary Ann Hoag

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