西洋美術史的雕像最初以希臘雕像為典範，神話人物、歷史故事、奧林匹克選手、或者說是希臘悲劇人物，依據理想美創造出睿智的身體表現，這種身體感往往被稱為古典美的呈現。然而，此次典藏常設展呈現亞洲大學的珍貴收藏，分別為竇加、羅丹以及阿曼等珍貴的雕塑品。
The sculptures in the western art history at first treated the Greek statues as the paradigm. In the mythology figures, historical stories, Olympic athletes, or the figures from the Greek tragedies, the presentation of wise bodies is created on the basis of ideal beauty. Such sense of body is oftentimes referred to as the presentation of the classical beauty. In comparison, this permanent collection exhibition displays the treasured collection of Asia University, encompassing the precious sculptures by Degas, Rodin, and Arman.

愛德華‧竇加
Edgar Degas
竇加生前以繪畫聞名，唯一一次雕塑展覽是於1881年第二次印象派美術展展出〈小舞者〉。〈小舞者〉創作於1878-81年之間，全稱為〈十四歲的小舞者〉。這件作品創作於普法戰爭以後，法國國力從戰敗的頹敗逐漸恢復過來，印象派也已經歷多次展覽。竇加熱心於印象派聯展，僅缺席一次，但是與同儕間關係不睦，也不喜歡輿論對印象派的揶揄與諷刺。不過，他的作品題材、構圖卻深受印象派的影響，永遠是現實的社會緊密結合，舉凡餐廳、街道以及他所喜歡的芭蕾舞教室，都是他取材的場域。
Degas was known for his painting before his death. The only sculpture ever exhibited was Litte Dancer displayed in the second impressionist art exhibition in 1881. Little Dancer was created in 1878-1881 with a full name Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen. The work was created after the Franco-Prussian War, as France gradually recovered from the defeat, and the impressionist had had multiple exhibitions. Degas was keen on the joint exhibitions of impressionists. He was only absent once. However, he did not get along with his peers, nor did he enjoy the ridicule and sarcasm against the impressionism. Nevertheless, the subject-matters and compositions of his works were deeply influenced by the impressionism, always intimately tied to the society in reality. Restaurants, streets, and the ballet classroom he was fond of, for example, were the places he drew his inspirations from.

竇加從1870年代開始，即不斷創作雕塑作品。他從現實人物觀察開始，創造出一系列親眼觀察的作品，只可惜這些以芭蕾舞練習為主的作品，生前並未展示，僅只於此蠟像製作。竇加去世後，繼承人從他的工作室發現150座蠟像，有些嚴重受損，諮詢鑄造廠後，將其中74件作品以青銅翻模，彌足珍貴。原作初次展示於1881年，法國著名藝術評論家裘李·卡爾·于斯曼（Joris-Karl Huysmans,1848-1907）見到〈小舞者〉時，評論道：「這件雕塑令人恐怖的寫實性，讓觀眾產生明顯的不適感；所有他的雕塑觀念、冰冷而無生命的白色，還有數世紀以來複製的陳腔濫調的記憶，都會崩毀。事實上，首先竇加翻轉雕塑傳統，如同他長期以來對繪畫所做的那樣。一切再現西班牙大師的古老方法，……竇加以其天才的原創性，立即給予相當特別與現代性。」(Huysmans, L’Art moderne, 226-7.) 竇加的雕塑乃是從現實生活觀察所得，具有高度日常性。〈小舞者〉擺出芭蕾舞第四項基本姿勢，雙手拉住位於背後，一腿向前，閉著眼睛，似乎站在調節呼吸，準備舞蹈。這個動作正位於身體最鬆弛的瞬間，持續的舞蹈將隨即開始。這是一件劃時代的雕塑，除了掌握連續動作的動人瞬間之外，竇加以實物的綢緞為模特兒穿上裙子，雕像背後以實物綢緞係在髮辮上，打破傳統大理石雕像的表現，以實物與雕塑混合採用，顛覆傳統雕塑的表現形式。除了這件作品之外，竇加將芭蕾舞蹈身體伸展與動作或者日常生活的身體動作，呈現出身體的日常特質。人的存在因為這種動作，從被神聖化的古典神話、偉人紀念碑的偉大的形式美感，轉化成身體的日常美感，從神聖回歸到人的現實。
Starting from the 1870s, Degas had been creating sculptures relentlessly. He began with observation of people in reality, producing a series of works of personal observation. Unfortunately, these works centering around on ballet practice were neve on display in his lifetime. They were merely produced as wax sculptures. After the death of Degas, his heir found 150 wax sculptures in his studio, with some of which severely damaged. After the consultation with a foundry, 74 of the works were cast into bronze sculptures, which are truly of rarity. The original works were debuted in 1881. Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848-1907), an eminent French art critic, commented at the sight of Little Dancer, “The terrible realism of this statuette makes the public distinctly uneasy: all its ideas about sculpture, about cold lifeless whiteness, about those memorable formulas copied again and again for centuries, are demolished. The fact is that on the first blow, M. Degas has knocked over the traditions of sculpture, just as he has for a long time been shaking up the conventions of painting.  In taking up the method of the old Spanish masters, M. Degas has made it entirely unique, modern, by the originality of his talent. ” (Huysmans, L’Art moderne, 226-7.) The sculptures of Degas drew inspirations from his observation in real life, which are rich in mundanity. Little Dancer presents the fourth position of ballet, with her arms and hands taut at her back, one leg forward, and eyes closed, as if she is standing to regulate her breath, poised to dance. This position is at the most relaxing moment of body, prior to the onset of continual dancing. This is an epoch-making sculpture. Aside from the command of the captivating moment in the continual movement, Degas utilized real satin as the tutu for the model, and a real satin as the ribbon on the braids at the back of the statuette. It broke free from the conventional marble statue presentation. Mixing real-life objects with sculpture, he flipped the means of the traditional sculpture presentation. In addition to this work, Degas employed the stretching and movements of ballet dance body, or the body movements in life, exhibiting the mundane quality of body. Thanks to this movement, the human existence is thus transformed from the majestic formal beauty of sanctified classical mythology and monuments of great figures into the mundane beauty of body, returning from sanctity to human reality.

奧古斯特．羅丹
Auguste Rodin
羅丹素來以雕塑聞名，兩次申請進入巴黎美術學院就讀被拒，灰心之餘從事宗教。教派中人認為他個性具備藝術天分，不適合宗教，於是他再次跟隨老師學習雕塑。他前往義大利遊學，環繞杜蘭、熱內亞、比薩、威尼斯、弗羅倫斯、羅馬、那不勒斯，發現多那太羅（Donatello,1386-1466）、米開朗基羅（Michelangelo,1475-1564）創作的奧秘。歐洲的雕塑傳統在巴洛克之後，趨向於形式主義美感，即使經歷十八世紀晚期到十九初期的新古典主義影響，雕塑作品在本質延續著文藝復興傳統的同時，逐漸流於形式表現。
Rodin has been known for his sculpture. He applied twice for, and rejected by, the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, before he directed his attention to religion out of frustration. The sectarians were convinced that he was characterized by his talent in art, not suitable for the religious path. Therefore, he went to teachers again to study sculpture. Rodin traveled to Italy for study. Sauntering around Duran, Genoa, Pisa, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples, he uncovered the mysteries in the artistic practices of Donatello (1386-1466)  and Michelangelo(1475-1564). The post-Baroque sculpture tradition in Europe inclined towards the formalist beauty. Despite the influence of neoclassicalism during the late 18th century to the early 19th century, the works of sculpture, while sustaining in essence the Renaissance legacy, evolved towards formalist presentation.


羅丹自雕塑的姿勢以及刨光表面與幾乎光滑表面的比例、非完成的技術與美學，發現文藝復興大師的奧秘。他初次展露頭角的作品為〈青銅時代〉( L'Âge d'airain,1877)，十分寫實的肉體，扭動的身軀以及具備朝氣的精神內涵，他已經捨棄遊腳、立腳與手持物產生的和諧關係，這位青年雙手上揚，舒動筋骨，因為栩栩如生，甚至被質疑為真人翻模，飽受爭議，卻也讓他成名。另一件作品〈布道的洗禮者約翰〉( Saint Jean Baptiste,1878)更是使用礦工當模特兒，一隻手舉起彷彿布道，雙腳卻平穩踩在土地上，打破遊腳與立腳的古典希臘以來的傳統。前者消化多那太羅初期文藝復興的肉體感，主題是一位無名的青年，並非歷史人物也非神話題材。後者則完全擺脫文藝復興以來古典主義傳統，相較於傳統雕塑表現出人物的瞬間，呈現出肉體的連續性時間。政府委託他創作未來裝飾藝術博物館的〈地獄門〉，他取材於但丁《神曲》與詩人波特萊爾《惡之花》，高七米、重八噸，這件作品生前從未交付，也沒有鑄成青銅，一直創造到生命最後。去世後1928年由亞歷山大．胡迪耶Alexis Rudier鑄造廠，也就是日後羅丹美術館鑄造完成。1882年完成〈亞當〉、〈夏娃〉、〈沉思者〉。
From the postures of sculptures, the ratio between the planed surface and the almost smooth surface, as well as the non finito (not finished) technique and aesthetics, Rodin discovered the mysteries of the Renaissance maestros. The Age of Bronze (L'Âge d'airain, 1877), the work he made his debut with, faithfully presents the flesh, the twisted body, and the vibrant spiritual essence. He abandoned the harmonious relationship born from the free leg, engaged foot, and hand-held object. The lad raises his both arms for stretch. Owing to its lifelike appearance, the artist even met with the controversy over whether it is modeled from a real person, which made him famous as well. The other work, Saint Jean Baptiste (1878), further employs a miner as the model. A hand is raised as if he is in sermon. Yet, his feet are firmly set on the ground, breaking free from the tradition of free leg and engaged leg since the Classical Greece. The former digested Donatello’s sense of body in the early Renaissance, with the subject being an anonymous youth, instead of a historical figure, nor of a mythological subject-matter. The latter entirely got rid of the classicist tradition since the Renaissance, presenting the temporal continuum of body, as opposed to the instant of a figure in the traditional sculpture. The Gates of Hell (La Porte de l'Enfer), commissioned by the government for the future Decorative Arts Museum, was inspired by Dante’s The Divine Comedy (La divina commedia) and Baudelaire’s The Flowers of Evil (Les Fleurs du Mal). The sculpture of seven meters tall and 8 tons heavy was never delivered, or cast into bronze, in Rodin’s lifetime. He kept working on it until the last moment of his life. After his decease, it was handed over to the foundry of Alexis Rudier, the predecessor of Musée Rodin, for casting in 1928. Adam, Eve, and The Thinker (Le Penseur) completed in 1882.

羅丹作品採取光線、觸覺感、身體細部掌握、人物動作、未完成等手法，展現出獨特風格，人物往往因為艱難與新奇的動作，給人強烈的張力與內在能量。此次展出八件作品，呈現渾厚軀體、以及健壯的生命力，使得雕塑產生近代的精神。
Leveraging light, tactility as well as the command in the details of body, figure’s movement, and the “non finito” approach, Rodin’s oeuvre exhibits a unique style. The figures evince powerful tension and inner energy from their difficult and novel movements. Eight of his works are on display in this exhibition, presenting vigorous body and athletic vitality that bestow the modern spirit upon sculpture.

阿曼
Arman
法裔美國籍雕塑家阿曼（Arman,1928—2005），本名阿曼德·皮埃爾·費迪南(Armand Pierre Fernandez)，乃法國藉的美國藝術家及畫家、雕塑家兼視覺藝術家。1946年畢業於尼斯國立裝飾藝術學院 ，並在尼斯警察學校學習柔道，在此認識伊夫克萊恩(Yves Klein)、巴斯卡(Claude Pascal)，往後三人搭乘便車，壯遊歐洲。1949年進入羅浮學院研究考古學、亞洲藝術，1951年在西班牙馬德里教授柔道，1952年在法國中南半島戰役中服勤。1954年他在展覽會上觀賞德國達達主義藝術家庫爾特•史維特斯(Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters)，發展出透過印章(cachets)印戳來創作作品，1959-1962年之間，他開始創造堆積物(Accumulations)以及垃圾桶( Poubelles)。垃圾桶意味著將散落的垃圾收集起來，重新加以利用。1960年他在伊利斯克雷特畫廊(Iris Clert)內堆滿垃圾，稱之為「實」(Le Plein），克萊恩則創作另一作品「虛」(Le Vide)，兩人形成對比。法國著名藝術評論家皮埃爾・雷斯塔尼 (Pierre Restany)認為阿曼是新現實主義運動的開創者之一，創作領域甚廣，涉及平面繪畫、實物拼貼、積累、破壞以及組合等創作領域與手法。1961年阿曼首次在美國展示，他採用「切割」(coupes)、「拼貼」(Colères) 兩種手法，將具有強烈身分的物件，譬如小提琴、薩克斯風等樂器，除此之外則青銅器的古典雕像，對這類舊物件進行破壞與組合。阿曼的作品往往取材於日常生活當中的物件，包括希臘神像、樂器、汽機車、家具、畫具或者鐘錶等，經由拆解、切割與組合，創造出不同視覺形式的同時，也使得這些物件的潛在的意義呈現出來。他認為，世界並不存在無用之物，舊物件存在的人文訊息往往大於新物件。
The French American sculptor Arman (1928-2005), born Armand Pierre Fernandez, is a French American  artist, painter, sculptor, and visual artist. He graduated from the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in Nice in 1946. Arman also learned judo at a police school in Nice, where he met Yves Klein and Claude Pascal. The three subsequently went on a hitch-hiking tour around Europe. The artist enrolled as a student at the École du Louvre for the studies in archeology and Asian art in 1949, taught judo at Madrid, Spain in 1951, and served in the military for the French campaign in the Indochinese Penisula in 1952. He observed the German Dadaist Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters in 1954 and developed his practices with cachets. From 1959 to 1962, Arman began to create Accumulations and Poubelles (French: the trash bins). The trash bins meant to collect the strewn refuse for refuse. In 1960, he filled the gallery Iris Clert with trash, titled Le Plein (The Full). Klein produced another work, Le Vide (The Void). The two form a contrast to each other. The distinguished French art critic, Pierre Restany, hailed Arman as one of the forerunners for Nouveau Réalisme (New Realism) that worked on an array of practices, involving creative fields and methods like painting, collage, accumulation, destruction, and assemblage. In 1961, Arman made his debut in the United States. He employed two methods, i.e. Coupes and Colères, as well as used objects with a strong identity, such as musical instruments like violin and saxophone, aside from classical bronze statues, to destroy and assemble these old objects. Arman usually made use of objects in everyday life for his works, including Greek statues, musical instruments, cars/motorcycles, furniture, painting tools, or clocks/watches. Through dissembling, cutting, and assembling, the artist brought the potential meanings of these objects to light while creating visual forms in variety. He was convinced that there is no object that is useless, and that old objects often contain humanistic messages more than the new counterparts.

本展覽展示阿曼兩件作品〈大提琴與維納斯的結合〉(1990) 與〈勝利女神的詩篇〉。兩者皆以維納斯雕像、有翼勝利女神雕像進行切割與組合，當傳統雕像的普遍的身體美感藉由破壞性的切割之後，古典美感轉換成現代的視覺形式，大提琴所具有的功能與音樂意義轉換成動態的形式，維納斯的形式美與大提琴的音樂性相互融合，展現出動靜合一的新的美學。
Two works of Arman, Venus au Violoncelle bois (1990) and Victoire en Chantant, are on display at this exhibition. Both were cut and assembled, with the statues of Venus and the winged goddess of victory, respectively. After the destructive cutting of the traditional statues’ universal beauty of body, the classical beauty is converted into the modern visual form. The function and musical meaning of cello is transformed into a dynamic form. The formal beauty of Venus and the musicality of cello are fused together to manifest the new aesthetics with activity and inactivity as one.

這次特展，將十九世紀晚期竇加作品，藉由身體的日常性動作，初次解構了古典主義以來冰冷的大理石美感。羅丹作品則給予人體形式美之外的內在宏偉精神，將文藝復興以來的人性價值再次展現；活躍於二十世紀的阿曼則透過切割與組合，解構傳統視覺美感，創造出舊意識的破壞，產生嶄新的視覺美感與意義。
At this special exhibition, the works of Degas in the late 19th century deconstruct the cold beauty of marble since the classicism for the first time through the mundane movements of bodies. The works of Rodan feature the inner spirit of majesty beyond the formal beauty of human body, re-presenting the humanistic value since the Renaissance; Arman, who was active for half of the 20th century, deconstructs the traditional visual beauty through cutting and assemblage, creates destruction of old ideology, and renders whole new visual beauty and meaning.