The Rodin Museum and Garden Landscape Rejuvenation Project
Plans for the Rodin Museum Rejuvenation Project Photograph courtesy of the Rodin Museum
The Rodin Museum of Philadelphia is undergoing a rejuvenation project to restore the museum in the spirit of its original 1929 design. Under the direction of OLIN landscape architects, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fairmount Park Commission, and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society are therefore collaborating on a project to renew and showcase this urban oasis, making it accessible to all for years to come.
"The Rodin Museum houses one of the world's great collections of the artist's work," Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and CEO of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. "Restoring these key components of the Museum's physical structure and reviving the natural beauty of its exterior landscape will have a lasting impact on residents of Philadelphia as well as visitors from around the world."
Drawing on the blueprints and correspondence of building architect Paul Cret and landscape architect Jacques Gréber, the project retains key features of its formal Beaux-arts design, while renovating and upgrading circulation and lighting. The new planting plan for the interior courtyard garden and areas surrounding the museum are being implemented in close coordination with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. This work is expected to be completed by the end of 2010.
The Rodin Museum was originally the gift of movie theater magnate Jules Mastbaum (American, 1872-1926) to the city of Philadelphia, and contains some 120 works by the French artist. Mastbaum began collecting Rodin's work in 1923 and within three years had assembled the largest collection of his works outside Paris, including bronze castings, plaster studies, drawings, prints, letters, and books.
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Also in this Issue:
- Restoring the de Young Museum with Copper
- Ozarklake Distinct Decor
- The Rodin Museum and Garden Landscape Rejuvenation Project
- Native Trails: Elevating the Functional to High Art
- Meet Dave Jones of MADE