Nijinsky (?)
On May 29, 1912, Rodin attended the premiere of Vaslav Nijinsky’s modern ballet L’Après-midi d’un faune (Afternoon of a Faun), which scandalized Parisian audiences with its avant-garde choreography and sexually explicit content. The following morning, a front-page newspaper editorial signed by Rodin praised the "deliberately awkward" and "jerky" movement. Nijinsky posed for Rodin a few days later. The strong profile of this sculpted sketch pays tribute to his choreographic style, which mimicked Greek bas-relief sculpture.
Artwork Details
- Title: Nijinsky (?)
- Artist: Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)
- Date: modeled 1912, cast 1959
- Culture: French
- Medium: Bronze, marble base
- Dimensions: Overall (without base): 6 3/4 × 2 7/8 × 2 5/8 in. (17.1 × 7.3 × 6.7 cm);
Height (with base): 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm) - Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
- Credit Line: Gift in honor of B. Gerald Cantor, 1991
- Object Number: 1991.446
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.