Musée Rodin, chefs-d’oeuvres par Auguste Rodin et Camille Claudel

The Rodin Museum was created in 1919, on Rodin's initiative, thanks to three successive donations that the artist made to the French state of his works, collections, library, letters, and manuscripts. The museum is located in the Hôtel Biron on the site chosen by the sculptor. It is a mansion built in the early 18th century. Rodin also donated his residence in Meudon (30 km away), the Villa des Brillants, which is now an annex of the museum.

The Rodin Museum in Paris

Located in the heart of Paris, the Rodin Museum enjoys an exceptional location just a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower and the Hôtel des Invalides. Comprising an 18th-century mansion and a sculpture garden covering nearly three hectares, the museum houses Rodin's sculptures. The perfect harmony of the sculpture garden and the charm of the rococo architecture of the Hôtel Biron will make your visit a unique moment during your stay in Paris.

The museum garden and its Rodin sculptures

This 18th-century mansion is surrounded by three hectares of peaceful and romantic greenery. These French gardens, adorned with a myriad of plants, trees, and shrubs, are populated with sculptures by Auguste Rodin.

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)

The sculptor Rodin is known throughout the world. But he was also a prolific amateur draftsman, engraver, and ceramist. He was also interested in photography (7,000 photos collected by Rodin out of the 25,000 preserved) and was also a great collector. These included paintings by his painter friends and antiques from Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Far East. As his fame grew, numerous commissions enabled him to acquire more than 6,000 works between 1893 and 1917.

He understood the importance of his everyday world in understanding his own work. Hence his archives: tens of thousands of handwritten and printed documents, books, and periodicals vividly evoke more than seventy years of Rodin's private, social, and artistic life. Thanks to them, we are at the heart of creation.

The Rodin Museum houses a collection of nearly 6,800 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 10,000 old photographs, and 8,000 other art objects. With 700,000 visitors per year, the Rodin Museum is one of the most important museums in France.

Camille Claudel, Rodin's muse and equal (1864-1943)

One cannot mention Rodin without mentioning Camille Claudel. She was Auguste Rodin's student, mistress, and muse, both artistically and romantically, until their breakup in 1892. Rodin passed on his knowledge to her, before using her as a model for several of his works (Fugit Amor, La Danaïde).

The young woman's talent was such that she became a true collaborator of the master, working with him on some of his most famous creations, such as The Gates of Hell. Rodin himself said:

“Mademoiselle Claudel has become my most extraordinary practitioner, I consult her on everything.” And to those who criticized her, Rodin replied: “I showed her where to find gold, but the gold she finds is hers.”

It was therefore only logical that a Camille Claudel room was created at the Rodin Museum. She received several donations from Paul Claudel, the artist's brother, writer, diplomat, and academician. In particular, Maturity, Clotho, and Vertumnus and Pomona, among her 45 works preserved at the museum.

After her breakup with Rodin, Camille Claudel quickly withdrew into solitude and gradually sank into paranoia. In February 1913, her family had her committed against her will to a psychiatric hospital for paranoia. She died there thirty years later, in 1943. Her remains, unclaimed by her family, were transferred to the ossuary at the Montfavet cemetery, 84140, in the suburbs of Avignon.

Camille Claudel rehabilitated and recognized by a film

The release of the superb film Camille Claudel in 1988 marked an important step in the process of rediscovery and rehabilitation of the artist that had been underway since the 1980s. The film was directed by Bruno Nuytten and based on the book by Reine-Marie Paris (Camille Claudel's grandniece). Isabelle Adjani plays the artist.

Rodin Museum in Meudon (Annex 18 miles from Paris)

House, studio, park: everything comes together in Meudon to offer a unique experience of Rodin's sculpture and world.

The tour begins at the Villa des Brillants, where Rodin lived for the last 20 years of his life. Nearby, visitors can explore the tactile space where they can discover resin reproductions of works by touch. Below, the plaster gallery offers a real insight into the artist's creative process. The presentation of the sculptures in their successive stages allows visitors to understand the different stages of Rodin's creative journey.

In the vast park, Rodin's tomb, topped by The Thinker, welcomes visitors for a moment of meditation overlooking the Seine Valley. A place of life and creation, the Rodin Museum in Meudon is also a place of learning, where numerous artistic and cultural education projects are organized for young people of all ages and backgrounds.

Reproductions of sculptures, drawings, and miniatures by Auguste Rodin

These can be purchased directly from the Rodin Museum shop and shipped abroad on request.

As the heir to the copyright since the sculptor's death in 1917, the museum, in accordance with Rodin's own wishes, publishes and sells original works in bronze. These are made from the original molds bequeathed by the artist. These editions are limited to 12 copies.

Once this limit has been reached, and since the 1960s, the museum has been producing the most faithful resin reproductions, still using the original mold, the matrix of the work itself.

In addition to small models, it is possible to reproduce Rodin's greatest masterpieces: The Thinker 185, The Burghers of Calais, Balzac, etc.

These large-scale reproductions require several weeks or even months of work and are available on request.

In addition to smaller models, it is possible to reproduce Rodin's greatest masterpieces: The Thinker, The Burghers of Calais, Balzac, etc.

These large-scale reproductions require several weeks or months of work and are available on request from Ugo Lachendowier (lachendowier@musee-rodin.fr - Tel: +33 (0)1 44 18 61 57).