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    Rodin Mania in H-Town

    New buff sculptures shake up the Houston art scene and create a Paris-like vision: It's Rodin mania!

    Leslie Loddeke
    By Leslie Loddeke
    Sep 1, 2014 | 9:03 am

    “The Walking Man” — that muscular marvel of a man sculpted by Auguste Rodin — has new competition for attention as the handsome centerpiece of the Cullen Sculpture Garden at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

    Like surprise presents, two more Rodins suddenly appeared in recent weeks, enhancing the symmetrical beauty of Houston’s own little piece of Paris, which is famous for its public sculpture gardens and monuments.

    Each of the two newly installed bronze figures shows the signature grace, authoritative power and fluid agility of the works created by the great French sculptor, who lived from 1840 to 1917 and left a bountiful legacy.

    The first of the duo to quietly enter the exquisitely landscaped Sculpture Garden was an oversized bronze goddess named “Cybele.” Voluptuous Cybele cleverly claimed an excellent vantage point from which to display her charms, seated within close range of the macho Walking Man.

    Taken together, the three Rodins all look ultra-fit and bursting with good health. Besides feeling a sense of admiration for their beauty, I felt compelled to bump up my workout routine.

    The second to appear, a slender youth, resembles a ballet dancer or gymnast leaning sideways from his elevated perch in a precarious pose. “La genie du repos eternal (Spirit of Eternal Repose)” presents a pleasant contrast to his neighbor, William Tucker’s giant bronze “Gymnast II” (1982), whose doubled-over form bows respectfully to guests at the garden entry.

    Both Rodins were modeled at the end of the 19th century, and both are accompanied by plaques stating that they were lent by Iris Cantor. As in every first encounter, the questions arise: Who are these newcomers, how did they get here, and what do they have to say for themselves?

    MFAH Director Gary Tinterow explains in a statement: “B. Gerald Cantor was a generous friend to Houston. In 1968, he gave two great Rodin sculptures to the Museum, Crouching Woman No. 5 (1882) and Flying Figure No. 1 (1890), and both are on display in our European galleries in the Beck Building.

    “Upholding Cantor’s original vision, his wife Iris Cantor and the Cantor Foundation have worked with institutions across the world to bring the work of Auguste Rodin to an ever wider public, and we are fortunate indeed to have both Cybele (1890/1904) and Spirit of Eternal Repose (1898-1899) on long-term loan; placed in the Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Garden, these marvelous sculptures can be seen with Rodin’s towering Walking Man (1905) from our collection.

    “No artist did more to break sculptural conventions at the turn of the last century, and these great loans allow us to measure Rodin’s career afresh.”

    Alison de Lima Greene, MFAH curator of contemporary art and special projects, told me the two sculptures came from Mrs. Cantor’s collection. Her largesse in making the generous offer of the loan grew out of her longstanding friendship with Tinterow and her awareness of his devotion to 19th-century art, and how Rodin did so much to shape its course, Greene explained. Tinterow, who assumed the post of MFAH director in early 2012, previously served as the Engelhard Chairman of the Department of Nineteenth Century, Modern and Contemporary Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

    They all have something well worth saying, and they’ll be saying it long after we disappear from the scene.

    Greene said she worked together with Tinterow to determine where the two Rodins should be placed in the Sculpture Garden, using photographic cutouts of the sculptures. The two museum officials experimented with different scenarios.

    The first involved grouping the goddess Cybele and the eternally youthful Spirit together with the Walking Man to create a little Rodin gallery. Then Greene conceived of placing the two figures in different locations within a communicable distance from the existing Rodin, as if they were speaking to one another across the garden in “an expanded dialogue.” That worked perfectly, as the results illustrate.

    Taken together, the three Rodins all look ultra-fit and bursting with good health. Besides feeling a sense of admiration for their beauty, I felt compelled to bump up my workout routine a bit. (Merci, Monsieur Auguste!)

    The Rodins and their compatriots in the Sculpture Garden communicate different messages to each of us in the same way as all the public sculptures in Paris, such as the 1844 Fontaine Moliere, which stands as an inspiring reminder of the creative contributions of the great French playwright. The primary message communicated to me through the ages is the appeal of each sculpture to our higher nature. They all represent some timeless ideal.

    In the midst of our contemporary lives — in the middle of traffic in Paris, in the case of the Moliere monument — they all ask us the question: What are you doing to make the world a better place?

    It’s wonderful that, thanks to the largesse of others, we can all freely admire the beautiful sculptures in the elegant MFAH Sculpture Garden, which is open to the public at no charge. For me, the most fun is to be found in the search to crack the code of what each of them is saying to each of us.

    After all, they all have something well worth saying, and they’ll be saying it long after we disappear from the scene. That's a conversation well worth having, while we can.

    Auguste Rodin's Cybele, 1890 1904, bronze, lent by Iris Cantor, is a new addition to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston sculpture garden.

    Rodin sculpture Fonderie de Coubertin at Museum of Fine Arts Houston
      
    Photo © MFAH
    Auguste Rodin's Cybele, 1890 1904, bronze, lent by Iris Cantor, is a new addition to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston sculpture garden.
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    Salutations, Soon Youn

    Houston Ballet principal dancer announces retirement after 13 years

    Holly Beretto
    Jun 20, 2025 | 10:00 am
    ​Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho
    Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2016). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.
    Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho and in Theme and Variations.

    Houston Ballet principal dancer Soon Youn Cho has announced her retirement, after 13 years with the company.

    For more than a decade, she has captivated audiences with her elegance, emotional authenticity, and technical brilliance. Audiences have seen her in roles such as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Kitri in Don Quixote, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, among many others.

    Cho’s retirement follows a period of recovery from spinal surgery prompted by chronic back issues that intensified during and after her pregnancy.

    "This decision was not made lightly, but with a great deal of reflection and acceptance over the past year," said Cho. “Since I first began ballet at the age of four, it has been the greatest love of my life. Even through pain and injury, I felt joy and purpose in every moment. I gave my best to every step along the way, and I now leave the stage with a peaceful heart and deep gratitude.”

    Cho further said that even before becoming pregnant, she had been managing chronic back issues throughout her career.

    “With dedication, careful conditioning, and the unwavering support of those around me, I was able to continue dancing for many years,” she said. “Despite my best efforts to recover, I’ve come to the difficult realization that I won’t be able to return to dancing at the level I once did. With a heavy but full heart, I’ve decided to retire from the stage.”

    Born in Korea and trained there, as well as in Canada and Germany, Cho danced with Opera Leipzig Ballet in Leipzig, Germany and the Tulsa Ballet in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was promoted to principal in 2010. She joined the Houston Ballet in 2012 as a demi soloist. She quickly rose through the ranks, promoted to soloist in 2014, then first soloist in 2016. In 2018, she became the Houston Ballet’s first Korean principal.

    Upon achieving the designation, she said, “I feel like I have made an important mark in history, along with other great dancers, for my people in such a great company.”

    Cho’s roles onstage reflected her wide artistic range and commitment to storytelling through dance. Her Houston Ballet colleagues and audiences admire and praise the passion and sincerity she brought to every performance. One of those, Cho’s portrayal of Suzuki in Madame Butterfly, is especially close to her heart, not only for its emotional depth but for the lifelong friendship it sparked with fellow principal Yuriko Kajiya.

    “Becoming part of this Company and working alongside such extraordinary people has been one of the greatest blessings and privileges of my life. I close this chapter with a full heart and immense appreciation for the art, the audiences, and the people who made it all so meaningful.”

    Cho said that while she doesn’t yet know what will come next, she departs the company filled with gratitude.

    “Looking back, I feel nothing but gratitude,” she said. “Gratitude for the incredible colleagues and mentors I’ve shared the studio with. Gratitude for the audiences who supported us performance after performance. And gratitude for the art form itself — so demanding, so beautiful, and so deeply rewarding. I leave the stage with peace in my heart. Because I gave everything I had to this journey, I can move forward without regret.”

    \u200bHouston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho
      

    Photo by Amitava Sarkar (2016). Courtesy of Houston Ballet.

    Houston Ballet Principal Soo Youn Cho and in Theme and Variations.

    houston balletsoon youn choperforming-arts
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