The Hidden Work of a Genius, August Rodin
Savor Masterpieces of France's Supreme Sculptor at His Paris Museum
You don't have to be a lover of sculptor to sense the larger-than-life effect the Rodin Museum will have on you when savoring French art. The combination of the marble and bronze masterpieces, combined with the beautifully ornate and landscaped gardens, along with knowledge of Rodin's colorful life, are enough to entrance most lovers of culture. The museum averages 500,000 visitors a year and is one of the most popular museums in France, after the Louvre, Versailles, and the Musee d'Orsay.
For those devotees of Impressionist paintings, you need to visit the Musee D'Orsay and not the Louvre to see them. The Musee D'Orsay is on the Left Bank (the Louvre is on the Right Bank) and is within about a half hour walking distance of the Rodin Museum on 79 Rue de Varenne ("Rue" means 'street' in French).
Hotel Biron
The Hotel Biron, now the Rodin Museum, dates between 1729 and 1730 and was designed by the architect Jean Aubert. The house is known for the beauty of its facades and inner panelling. With time the site became well known as one of the finest parks in Paris, even in the 18th century. The grounds are exquisite and visitors are surrounded by esthetic bliss. Colorful and aromatic flowers, hedged borders, flower beds, shrubberies, elegant trellis dot the many pathways.
Coming close to demolition in the 1800s after it had been converted to an austere boarding school for wealthy female aristocrats and nobles, the house was later bought by the State and opened as Rodin's own museum in 1919.
The WorksThe Rodin Museum has more than 6,000 sculptures and other forms of art in its collection but only a small amount are on display at one time. Much of the pieces are maintained in storage vaults and displayed as exhibitions rotate themes.
The Thinker, Rodin's most famous work, sits on a pedestal in the garden. The Thinker was created in 1888 for an exhibition in Copenhagen and was called the "Gates of Hell" modeled after Dante's vision. Another famous work found inside the museum is Rodin's immortalized The Kiss, two lovers locked eternally in a naked marble kiss.
Interesting Facts about Rodin (1840-1917)
- When Rodin was 24 he met Rose Beuret, aged 20. They were partners until marrying in 1917 when Rodin was 77 and she was 73. Rose died 16 days after the marriage and Rodin 9 months later. They are buried side by side in the town of Meudon, a suburb of southwest Paris about 6 miles outside of the city.
- Rodin was invited by Monet to his residence at Giverney to meet the Provencal painter, Paul Cezanne.
- When Rodin was 35 he travelled to Italy to study the work of Michelangelo.
Musee Rodin, 79 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France. Telephone: 01 44 18 61 10
