Glasgow's Burrell Collection purchases its first sculpture by a female artist

However, now in a series of firsts, the museum is the first public UK collection to acquire a work by sculptor Camille Claudel, its first acquisition in ten years and the first sculpture by a woman in The Collection.

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The museum, which houses one of the greatest global art collections ever amassed by one person, will reopen in March next year, following a major building upgrade and ambitious redisplay.

Glasgow Life, the charity which operates The Burrell Collection, was able to purchase the sculpture by a key female artist, with support from the Burrell Trustees, National Fund for Acquisitions, Art Fund and Henry Moore Foundation.

Curator Pippa Stevenson with The Burrell Collection’s acquisition of a sculpture by Camille Claudel

L’Implorante will initially be displayed as an exciting part of the inaugural exhibition in the newly designed Special Exhibition and Event space in the Burrell Collection. The free exhibition, due to open late summer 2022, will explore the legacy of Sir William Burrell as a man and collector and his motivations to establish an internationally renowned museum for the people of Glasgow and beyond.

Professor Frances Fowle, Senior Trustee, Sir William Burrell Trust, said: "We are delighted to acquire this profoundly moving bronze by Camille Claudel for the Burrell Collection. This outstanding artist, although underrepresented in this country, was an important role model for women sculptors at the turn of the twentieth century. The sculpture will perfectly complement the museum’s important holding of works by Auguste Rodin, with whom Claudel's career was so closely aligned.”

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Claudel became a sculptor at a time when it was very difficult for women to do so. The École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where artists would usually attend to become a sculptor, did not accept women at the time. Undeterred, Claudel studied at the nearby Académie Colarossi.

Contents of the Burrell collection were decanted, including The Thinker by Rodin, ahead of it's refurbishment. Photograph by Colin Mearns.

The blossoming artist was introduced to Rodin when she was 17-years-old. Two years later she began working in his studio. Soon, Claudel and Rodin became involved, and their lives, as well as their work, became inextricably linked.

L’Implorante was created around the same time her relationship with Rodin was coming to an end, and he returned to his long-term partner, Rose Beuret. It shows a naked, young woman kneeling on rocky ground, reaching forward with both arms, as if attempting to grasp something or holding something invisible. Her face has a child-like expression, her lips are parted as if she is about to say something, and her eyebrows are furrowed, expressing sadness.

The Burrell Collection’s acquisition of a sculpture by Camille Claudel, L’Implorante.

The kneeling figure was first modelled as part of a larger, three-figure group, L’Âge Mûr (Maturity) in 1895-98, which depicts a middle-aged man being led away from the youthful figure shown in L’Implorante. This group sculpture is commonly acknowledged to depict a regretful Rodin being stolen away from the young Claudel by an aged Beuret.

The reproduction rights for L’Implorante were acquired from Claudel by the publicist and editor Eugène Blot around 1907. He arranged for the sculpture to be cast in two sizes: 72cm and 28.2cm. It is believed only five of the larger size were produced, plus around 59 of the smaller versions. Today four of these are held in the collections of the Musée Rodin in France, Albert-Andre Museum in France, Fondation Pierre Gianadda in Switzerland and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The Burrell Collection’s European bronze sculptures centre around 14 works by Rodin, a grouping second only in size to the V&A in the UK including the well-known and much-loved sculpture The Thinker.

When Sir William was actively collecting Claudel would not have been considered an important artist. Although not obvious at the time, he purchased a work with very close connections to Claudel. The Rodin sculpture Brother and Sister borrows directly from a pre-existing work by Camille Claudel. It is sometimes even regarded as a collaboration between the two artists. This will also be on show when the refurbished museum reopens in March 2022.

The Burrell Collection will reopen in March 2022 following an ambitious building upgrade and redisplay. Photograph by Colin Mearns.

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “We are elated to acquire this piece by Camille Claudel and indebted to the Burrell Trustees, National Fund for Acquisitions, Art Fund, Henry Moore Foundation for their support in helping us secure this internationally important sculpture for The Burrell Collection.

“Glasgow Life is proud to actively collect work by women artists and announcing acquisitions is a source of huge excitement, especially when it is the first of its kind in the UK. Until now Glasgow did not have a sculpture by Claudel. This piece bolsters the collection and connects well with other works that will be on show, most notably by Rodin.

“We are certain it will be a draw for visitors, and it demonstrates the Burrell is not a static collection, but one that embraces change and responds to the world around it.”