Rodin 'copy' sells for $1 million in France
The owners thought the sculpture perched for years on the corner of a piano was a Rodin copy, but after being declared as the real thing the small marble figure has now sold for one million dollars at auction, organisers said Monday.
Described as an "extremely rare" find by auction organiser Aymeric Rouillac, the figure was in fact an 1892 work, "Despair" by Auguste Rodin, that had gone missing after being sold at auction in 1906.
The work was put on sale at the weekend at an opening price of 500,000 euros, but eventually sold for 860,000 euros (one million dollars), according to Rouillac.
The family had long believed the 28.5 centimetre (11 inch) figure of a sitting woman holding one foot was a copy of the legendary sculptor's work, said Rouillac.
After the owners approached Rouillac about another matter, he and his team spent months investigating the origin of the sculpture, including even looking into the family's origins.
He went to the Comite Rodin in March and the body that is considered the leading authority on the French artist confirmed its authenticity six weeks later.
Rouillac said the committee found that "Despair" was sold at auction in 1906 and then disappeared from view. "So we have rediscovered it," he told AFP.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
Girls shouldn't shout?: Women break the mould at French metal festival
Women artists are pushing back against gender stereotypes at the French heavy metal festival Hellfest, where men have long dominated the loud and rebellious genre. With around 60,000 visitors per day, the 18th edition of France's biggest metal festival wrapped up Sunday after four days of head-banging performances. Marked by loud guitars and guttural shouting, heavy metal has historically been associated with men and virility. On Friday, nine bands featuring at least one woman took to one of Hellfest's main stages, a notable step toward recognising women in the genre. Hellfest showcases around 180 bands spanning metal subgenres from thrash and black metal to hardcore punk, with major acts like Korn, Muse and Scorpions performing. Among the newer voices carving space in the scene is Camille Contreras, a chemical engineer by training and self-taught metalcore vocalist, who faced a backlash in 2023 after joining French band Novelists as their lead singer. "There were a few remarks, but I didn't really take them personally because they said 'a girl shouldn't shout'," Contreras told AFP. "I told myself 'this guy, he's just stupid'." Contreras proved her vocal strength during live shows, helping Novelists gain international traction with tours in the United States and China. Her four bandmates said the decision to bring her in went beyond voice, praising her performance style, stage presence, good mood, ability to convey atmosphere and diversity. Praised by her bandmates as "transgressive" for challenging "norms and many stereotypes", Contreras -- nicknamed the "devil's diva" -- fired up the Hellfest crowd during their Sunday set. She wasn't the only woman making waves at the festival. US rock giant Linkin Park, best known for hits like "In the End" and "Numb", returned to the Hellfest stage on Sunday with new vocalist Emily Armstrong, who joined in 2024 following the 2017 death of frontman Chester Bennington. "They were in the right state of mind by choosing to make a 180 degree U-turn, rather than creating a copy of Chester, and it's working really well," said Christie Medina-Gonzalez, programmer and artistic coordinator for Hellfest. - 'Very good start' - Women are still underrepresented at the festival but they are becoming "much more widespread now", according to Contreras. "All of the attitudes are evolving a little," she said. "Women are maybe less scared of showing who they are," she added, noting that "there are more and more female bands in all kinds of subgenres" of heavy metal, which nevertheless remains "very standardised" and "very masculine". Friday's stage dedicated to woman-fronted acts featured performances by the neo-Viking metal collective Heilung, from Scandinavia and Germany, alongside Dutch symphonic metal bands Epica and Within Temptation. The initiative is "a very good start to make women more visible", said Sharon den Adel, cofounder of Within Temptation with her husband and guitarist Robert Westerholt. "I know a lot of my colleagues had a lot of problems being accepted as a woman," Den Adel said. When the lead vocalist was growing up, people often asked who her idols were. Now, with more women playing guitar and playing drums, female performances are more visible, she said. As metal artists, women "will plant seeds in young girls' minds of, 'I can be this, this is also an option for me, maybe I can do this passion as well'".
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
French police probe fake Disneyland 'marriage' with nine-year-old
French police were on Sunday probing the circumstances of a bizarre stunt at Disneyland outside of Paris, with a group of adults suspected of hiring the theme park and paying hundreds of extras to stage a fake marriage for a nine-year-old Ukrainian girl. Two people were held for questioning in the case, which initially caused alarm when staff alerted police on Saturday that it could have concerned an illegal child marriage. But investigators now believe that the so-called "marriage" was staged, with the girl's mother reportedly saying that she wanted her to feel like a Disney "princess" for the day. "The event turned out to be a staged event, with the guests themselves extras" invited to be part of the stunt, deputy prosecutor Alexandre Verney said. "So it wasn't a wedding, but a staged wedding filmed with around a hundred extras. They hired Disneyland Paris, pretending it was a real wedding," he told AFP. Four people were arrested and taken into custody, and the questioning of two of them -- suspected of fraud and money laundering -- was extended on Saturday evening. They are the so-called "groom" who is believed to be behind the event, 22 years old and "presumed to be British", and a Latvian woman, 24, said a source close to the case. However, the other two people detained -- a 41-year-old Ukrainian woman, and a 55-year-old Latvian man -- were released. The investigations, including a medical examination of the nine-year-old girl, a Ukrainian national, found that "she had not been subjected to any violence or coercive acts," the prosecutor's office said. According to the Le Parisien daily, which first reported the incident, a man had several weeks previously hired the Disneyland Paris complex for a sum of 130,000 euros ($150,000) for several hours before it opened to the public. Staff were astonished when the nine-year-old appeared wearing high heels on Saturday morning, barely able to stand in the elaborate footwear, and they alerted the authorities, it said. The paper said the man who organised the event had submitted false documents concerning his identity and Disneyland filed a complaint. Hundreds of extras were bussed in to play the part of the guests, it said, while the girl's mother told investigators she wanted to organise a "day worthy of a princess" for her daughter.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Miley Cyrus slammed for ‘rude' behaviour at fan meet-and-greet with Naomi Campbell
Miley Cyrus has been slammed for being rude 'rude' and disrespectful' after seemingly ignoring fans at a meet-and-greet in the UK over the weekend. The singer was at the Rough Trade East music store and bar in London to meet fans and promote her new album, Something Beautiful. Joining her was British supermodel Naomi Campbell, who features on the album on the funk-pop track, Every Girl You've Ever Loved. But as the pair signed autographs, seemingly on autopilot, they appeared to be more interested in chatting to each other, much to the disappointment of their excited fans. In a clip now going viral, Cyrus barely interacts with a fan who approach the table with her album in hand, nor does the singer look at the camera for a photo. Instead, she continues to focus her attention on Campbell, who also appears to ignore fans gushing over her. 'Miley looked right at her and focused on Naomi right after. Cmon Miley,' one fan tweeted on X, as another commented, 'Oh that's just disrespectful.' 'I'm sure they didn't intend to but... this is just rude. If you can't give your attention to fans, then don't agree to autograph sessions where pictures are also offered,' another wrote, as one noted, 'I'm pretty sure people paid to see them so if you're going to charge at least be polite and give them the time they paid for.' 'Ew that's effed she prob waited hours for that rudeness,' yet another agreed. Other users came to Cyrus' defence, calling for understanding as fan meet-and-greets are no walk in the park. 'It is rude. but they see 100s of not 1000s of people. To try and sit there and talk to each and every one of them is a bit much. Not trying to defend their actions or anything, just sayin,' one wrote. 'They have hundreds of fans to meet. I don't blame them for not giving one on one attention to each one,' wrote another. Earlier this month, the Hannah Montana star was unexpectedly heckled by fans at a Q&A session at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on June 6. The pop star was at the event to promote her upcoming musical film, Something Beautiful, which is released in line with her album of the same name. In videos posted online, Cyrus was in the middle of answering a question when a disgruntled fan shouted from the audience, 'We thought this was a concert. We paid $800.' 'Are you actually going to sing?' yelled another. 'Miley, sing The Climb!' Cyrus then obliged and began to sing an a capella version of her 2009 hit, before abruptly stopping to ask the audience why 'you're not singing'. After handling the awkward moment with grace, Cyrus then took to Instagram to thank everyone for coming along to the event. 'Seeing Something Beautiful on the big screen at @tribeca @beacontheatre surrounded by the screams of the audience, was so worth every bit of effort lovingly laboured into this visual album,' she wrote alongside photos from the event. 'Tonight was emotional, deep, fun & fabulous. All my favourite things, but YOU the crowd were my absolute favourite of all. I love you.'
