Three Year Restoration Of Rodin Museum Nearly Finished
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - While the construction of the Barnes Foundation has been getting most of the local art scene's attention, its next door neighbor on the Parkway, The Rodin Museum, has been preparing for a midsummer reopening after a lengthy makeover.
"It's sparkling."
Rodin Curator Jennifer Thompson beams as she gazes around the mostly refurbished interior of one of Philadelphia's cultural treasures.
"We're delighted to sort of reverse some of the changes that have happened over the last couple of years."
The goal has been to restore the Rodin to what it looked like when it opened in 1929. The three year project began outside with the restoration of eight bronze sculptures, six of which haven't been seen there since the early 1960's.
Art Museum Director and CEO Timothy Rub says the building was intended to serve as a frame for Rodin's work.
"If you take the sculpture out of the niches, if you take the sculpture out of the arches, out of their relationship with the building something is lost in the process."
Inside the focus is on original paint colors, wood stains, plaster finishes and wall fabrics. The Rodin is scheduled to reopen in Mid-July.
