IT IS small but remarkable for several reasons - this bronze sculpture is the first by a woman to make it in to Glasgow’s Burrell Collection.

It is the famous museum’s first acquisition in 10 years and it makes the Burrell the first public collection in the UK to have a work by celebrated artist Camille Claudel.

The Burrell, which houses one of the greatest global art collections ever amassed by one person, will reopen in March 2022, following a multi-million pound refurbishment.

Glasgow Life, the charity which operates the museum, purchased L’Implorante, with support from the Burrell Trustees, National Fund for Acquisitions, Art Fund and Henry Moore Foundation.

Camille Claudel was a contemporary and close collaborator of Auguste Rodin, whose work - including his famous The Thinker - is also at the Burrell.

L’Implorante will initially be displayed as part of the inaugural exhibition in the building’s newly designed Special Exhibition and Event space. The free exhibition, due to open late summer 2022, will explore the legacy of Sir William Burrell as a man and collector and his motivations to establish an internationally renowned museum for the people of Glasgow and beyond.

Professor Frances Fowle, Senior Trustee, Sir William Burrell Trust, said: “We are delighted to acquire this profoundly moving bronze by Camille Claudel for the Burrell Collection. This outstanding artist, although underrepresented in this country, was an important role model for women sculptors at the turn of the twentieth century. “

Claudel’s childhood creations, for which her siblings posed, were fired in the oven by the family cook. She became a sculptor at a time when it was very difficult for women to do so. She met Rodin when she was 17 years old and they became lovers, and their lives, as well as their work, became inextricably linked. L’Implorante was created around the same time her relationship with Rodin was coming to an end, and he returned to his long-term partner, Rose Beuret. Around 59 of the smaller versions are believed to have been produced and four are held in collections in France, Switzerland and New York.

The Burrell Collection’s European bronze sculptures centre around 14 works by Auguste Rodin, a grouping second only in size to the V&A in the UK.

Councillor David McDonald, Chair of Glasgow Life, said: “We are elated to acquire this piece. Glasgow Life is proud to actively collect work by women artists and announcing acquisitions is a source of huge excitement, especially when it is the first of its kind in the UK. This piece bolsters the collection and connects well with other works that will be on show, most notably by Rodin.

“We are certain it will be a draw for visitors, and it demonstrates the Burrell is not a static collection, but one that embraces change and responds to the world around it.”