Embrace

Rodin’s world renowned marble sculpture The Kiss returns to Cheltenham in February 2014, 80 years after it was first here. Now in the collection at the Tate, The Kiss first came to Cheltenham in 1933 because the sculpture failed to reach its reserve price at the sale held after the owner, Mr Warren’s death in 1929. Realising it wasn’t a good time to sell, the beneficiary of Warren’s will offered the sculpture to any provincial gallery who could pay for the transport and insurance. The offer was taken up by Cheltenham and the sculpture was shown in the Art Gallery & Museum for three years. After this it went on loan to the Tate and in 1952 the Tate launched a successful public campaign to buy The Kiss for the nation. The Kiss will be displayed in the Atrium, part of the newly designed and recently opened building and is the inspiration for the Art Gallery & Museum’s second major exhibition, Embrace. Embrace will feature work by both 20th century and contemporary artists whose work represents the tenderness, intimacy and passion of an embrace through sculpture, film, installation and photography – some literal, others in more abstract forms. Artists represented include Jacob Epstein, Marc Chagall, Eileen Agar, Kenneth Armitage, William Rothenstein, Peter Howson, Gilbert and George, Charlie Murphy, Ian Berry, David Inshaw, Emma Critchley, Eileen Cooper and Chris Ofili. The exhibition events programme will include a Valentine’s Day evening with a French theme, a variety of practical art activities for children and families and dance performances inspired by the exhibition and the sculptor Camille Claudel, who trained with Rodin.

Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//sw000021?id=EVENT460474