The Santa Cruz City Council has given the green light to the investment of 15 million euros, divided into four years, to provide the future Rodin Museum in the capital with nearly a hundred works, an institution that will be located in the Viera y Clavijo Park once rehabilitated. This has been advanced by the Councilor for Heritage, Juan José Martínez, who details that there will be 68 original works that will come to Tenerife and another 15 replicas will be added, so that, altogether, there will be some 83 pieces that, initially, since there will be more acquisitions in the future. “Among those considered as originals, which are those of which there are up to 12 copies made with the same mold, a first edition will come, that is, the first that was made of the series of 12”, explained the mayor. It’s about the work Victor Hugo draped, étude pour le monumentand which, according to Martínez, has not yet been exhibited at the Musée Rodin Paris.
In addition, it has been agreed with the French entity that one of the original copies of the famous work of the French sculptor, The kiss, will be leased, free of charge, to the capital for at least 15 years. In addition, “we have negotiated a rent, the cost of which we are still debating, for the Door to hell. He will be an original and the assignment will be for about 15 years, ”explained the also mayor of the Treasury.
The councilor defended the investment, assuring that “we are talking about municipal cultural heritage, an investment that will put us at the head of the cities that invest the most in culture, thus differentiating us and turning the Rodin Museum into one more factor of attraction to the city”.
According to Martínez, once the details of this purchase are finalized, which will be done through a negotiated contract without advertising since there is only one bidder for the works, it is expected that the first ones will arrive on the Island in the first quarter of 2023, to be exhibited in the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts.
As explained by the Councilor for Culture, Gladis de León, “the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts of Santa Cruz de Tenerife houses a diverse and valuable collection, in terms of disciplines and chronology. Bearing this reality in mind, it is entirely logical that this Museum should be the one to host, on its first stay on the Island, the sculptures that will make up the city’s future Rodin Museum, while the rehabilitation work on the building progresses. will house the institution.
“The Museum of BBAA has permanent exhibition halls that can accommodate these bronzes, creating new areas of exhibition, dialoguing with other contemporary works and providing greater richness to the artistic content of the exhibition,” he added.
