Just before the wonderful Olympic Games last summer, my husband and I were fortunate to spend a week in Paris. We have been many times before, but hadn’t yet gone to see the Musée Rodin. Wow!! I am so glad that we made the time to travel from the middle of the 16th to journey to the 7th arrondissement in order to spend an afternoon immersed in the wonderful art and architecture of this romantic museum! The Musée Rodin is housed in what once was a hotel (Hotel Biron) that not only Rodin himself lived in, but other artists as well!
“In 1916, a year before his death, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) bequeathed all his works and possessions to the French state which, in exchange, purchased the Hôtel Biron and committed to turning it into a museum dedicated to the artist. The Paris site opened to the public in 1919, the Meudon site in 1948. The artist’s bequest was the founding act of the Musée Rodin, perpetuating the special bond between a prime location in one of the loveliest gardens in Paris and the work of the most illustrious sculptor of his day.” ~ from the Musée Rodin official site.
From Pasadena to Paris | Musée Rodin – Bring on the Romance! Photo Credit: G. Sanders
Growing up in and around the Pasadena, California area, both of us feel intimately acquainted with the work of Rodin from the amazing collection of his statues at the Norton Simon Museum, located on the famous corner of Colorado and Orange Grove Blvd.! Rose Parade and Rose Bowl aficionados will recognize that corner as every New Years Day it’s in the background shot of hundreds of floats that motor by on their way down the parade route!
From Pasadena to Paris | Musée Rodin – Bring on the Romance! Photo Credit: G. Sanders
According to Paris Discovery Guide, there are at least 130 museums one can visit in the City of Lights! The most well-known of course being the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Centre Pompidou.
From Pasadena to Paris | Musée Rodin – Bring on the Romance! Photo Credit: G. Sanders
With so many of Rodin’s statues reflecting human love, it’s hard not to get swept up in the romance on display. The sculpture above is a version of Rodin’s most well-known piece called The Kiss.
Bust of a young woman with roses in her hair, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
This terracotta bust won my heart with the young woman’s sweet beauty and the obvious tenderness with which Rodin saw her.
From Pasadena to Paris | Musée Rodin – Bring on the Romance! Photo Credit: G. Sanders
The collection of Rodin’s work, as well as pieces by Camille Claudel and others is housed in what used to be a hotel (Hôtel Biron) where not only Rodin, but other artists lived as well! It has an interesting history and is worth looking into when visiting. Like the mantlepiece above, the 18th-century mansion itself is a work of art – combined with the Rodin collection and the French-style gardens outside, a wonderful day or afternoon exploring is a beautiful, relaxing retreat!
The Wave or The Bathers, Camille Claudel (1864-1943), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
The museum also displays works by Camille Claudel, who was originally hired to be an assistant, but became not only Rodin’s mistress, but an important sculptor in her own right. Her personal story had a sad ending, but she is beginning to be recognized increasingly outside of France as a visionary artist. This past summer there was an exhibit of her work here in Southern California at the Getty.
Portrait of Rodin, Camille Claudel (1864-1943), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
One of Claudel’s pieces is this bust of Rodin himself. This image of Rodin traveled the world in exhibitions and became known as his “official portrait” since there were so few!
The Call to Arms, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
Also called, La Defense, this dramatic bronze sculpture commemorates the siege of Paris in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War.
From Pasadena to Paris | Musée Rodin – Bring on the Romance! Photo Credit: G. Sanders
The views out the mansions window-views were just lovely on July 13th, the day before Bastille Day, with the French ‘Tricolore’ fluttering proudly in the light breeze.
The Kiss, Auguste Rodin (1840 -1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
“‘The Kiss’ originally represented Paolo and Francesca, two characters borrowed … from Dante’s Divine Comedy: slain by Francesca’s husband who surprised them as they exchanged their first kiss, the two lovers were condemned to wander eternally through Hell” ~ from the Musée Rodin official site.
Paolo and Francesca’s love affair and punishment laid out in the Divine Comedy is so poignant that I am not surprised that this beautiful, romantic sculpture has become one of the most famous, and loved, works of Rodin. The movement and passion in the figures are recognizable immediately – and when one steps back to appreciate the challenges of conveying those universal feelings in sculpture – it is truly breathtaking.
From Pasadena to Paris | Musée Rodin – Bring on the Romance! Photo Credit: G. Sanders
The Torso of Adèle on the left was a sensual study for the “Gates of Hell”. Both of the pieces shown next to each other in the museum are small in size, but their impact is powerful; an intellectual and emotional expression of the human experience.
From Pasadena to Paris | Musée Rodin – Bring on the Romance! Photo Credit: G. Sanders
As in the lead photograph for this story also displays, the afternoon light through the museums windows added its own story of light, sensuality, and shadow.
Crouching Woman, Auguste Rodin (1840 -1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
This female figure was modeled for the massive Gates of Hell work that Rodin sculpted.
“…the figure is representative of the raw eroticism expressed in some of Rodin’s works…a dark disturbing sexuality, often regarded as obscene because of the muffled violence that seems to emanate from the sculpture. The quasi-animal sensuality of this figure…is what made it successful.” ~ from the Musée Rodin official site.
The Age of Bronze, Auguste Rodin (1840 -1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
This statue, also known as The Awakening Man or The Vanquished One, was so controversial at the time of its showing in 1877, Rodin was accused of using a cast of a live sitter – and not to have created the figure from his talents. I found the emotion of this piece in person to be profound in its sensuality – and evocative of one of Michelangelo’s “slave” statues found at the Louvre in Paris.
Eternal Springtime, Auguste Rodin (1840 -1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
Eternal Springtime might be one of my favorites in retrospect. A variation of a theme completed several times by Rodin, it is gorgeous and immediately accessible. The highlighting of the physical, emotional, and sensual love is incredible – this is an aspect of human experience that is known to have the power to move mountains.
The Three Shades, Auguste Rodin (1840 -1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
The “Shades” refer to the ‘souls of the damned’ and this piece is actually inscribed with a warning, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here”. The twisting, (regret?), and the torment is palatable and was again a study (enlarged) for the Dante inspired “Gates of Hell” project.
The Thinker, Auguste Rodin (1840 -1917), Photo Credit: G. Sanders
And finally, the most famous of them all, we bid adieu from the Musée Rodin with a look at “The Thinker” in the garden – who remembers the scene from “Midnight in Paris” that takes place in this very spot? Beauty, culture, history – this place has it all, making it a #1 spot in Paris for a romantic afternoon! Next up, the Rodin collection at Pasadena’s Norton Simon!
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