THE KISS

See Also: THE BRITISH MUSEUM The Warren Cup; TATE BRITAIN

Edward Perry Warren was a wealthy, homosexual, expatriate American who lived in Sussex. In 1901 he offered Auguste Rodin £8000 for a replica of The Kiss. His one stipulation for the copy was that the genitals of the man must be distinct and complete . In the original they had been undefined. Rodin accepted the money and did as he had been bid.

When the sculpture arrived at Mr Warren's home in Lewes three years later, the aesthete found that it was not to his taste and banished it to the property s stable-block. In 1914 he lent the work to the local council, which put it on display in the town hall. However, following the start of the First World War, those locals who found the figures offensive successfully argued that the piece might inflame the passions of the soldiers who had been billeted in the town. A tarpaulin was placed over it. It was then returned to the art patron.

Following Warren's death, The Kiss was put up for auction. The sculpture failed to reach its reserve price. In 1953 The Tate bought the work. It paid less for it than Rodin had received. With time, the piece became one of the gallery's best-known items.

Location: 52 Millbank, SW1P 4RG (blue, red)

Website: www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rodin-the-kiss-n06228 www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/auguste-rodin-1860/auguste-rodin-kiss

David Backhouse 2024