The story began in 2005, when I presented in a Paris gallery a series of photographs I shot at the Pergamon museum.
As it turns out, the director of the gallery was in fact the world expert on the sculptures of Auguste Rodin, Jérôme Le Blay. I told him that I would one day like to take some photographs at the Musée Rodin.
One year after my children were born (2008 in Berlin), I went unannounced to the Musée Rodin and took some photographs.
When I showed them to the Rodin expert, he suggested sharing my images with the Musée Rodin; an idea which caused me some anxiety because I hadn’t asked for permission.
Jérôme wrote me a glowing email...
As soon as he showed the Musée Rodin the images from this series, I received an invitation to make a proper shoot at the museum, on a Monday with the galleries all to myself. They ended up acquiring several pieces for their collection. The works from this series are stamped on the reverse with the following mark:
In 2011, taking my core business as an art dealer to a new level, I opened an art gallery in Berlin to great critical acclaim.
There, I developed a program of juxtapositions between modern and contemporary art, and quite independently from the Musée Rodin, often included Rodin works in my group exhibitions -in conversation with masters of German Expressionism, Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin, etc...
Eventually, I was brought in contact with the museum again, but this time as an art dealer and gallery owner. Of course, it made a world of difference that they already knew me through my photography. We proceeded to mount several exhibitions in partnership with the musée Rodin.
As our relationship flourished, my gallery became the museum’s commercial partner for the sale of Rodin bronzes, and in 2015, we created a partnership called Rodin the Alma Project.
- Rodin the Alma Project is a public-private partnership between the Musée Rodin, Paris and Akim Monet Side by Side Gallery, Berlin. Its mission is to illustrate the art historical connection between Rodin and the main proponents of Modernism, and to foster a relationship with contemporary art. In addition to presenting works by Rodin that are available for sale, in conversation with works by Modern and Contemporary artists, Rodin the Alma Project invites selected contemporary artists to engage directly in a synergetic process with specific aspects of Rodin's oeuvre, creating a synthesis of the old and the new, as here below in the 2016 exhibition Bridge over Chaos featuring among others, Auguste Rodin in conversation with Tracey Emin.
So in essence, it’s through my photography that I developed a business relationship with the musée Rodin.
Therefore the present selling exhibition at my gallery “Homage to Auguste Rodin”, where in partnership with the Musée Rodin I am displaying a small selection of my large scale photographs alongside original bronzes from the Musée Rodin, celebrating the fifth anniversary of the gallery and the centenary of Auguste Rodin’s passing in 1917, is in fact a "coming full circle" from that time in Paris in 2005!
Posted on the occasion of 'Homage to Rodin', an exhibition of photography by Akim Monet, alongside bronze sculptures from the musée Rodin, on view in Berlin until March 25, 2017
