The second Rodin Museum

There is not only the Rodin Museum – Hôtel Biron - on rue de Varenne in Paris, but there is another one at Meudon, a close suburb. I wrote about the first one a long time ago on my previous blog (see here) and visited the second one, at Meudon, for a first time last week. 

It actually had a special significance as it was on the 100^th anniversary of Rodin’s death. There was a ceremony held (which I’m not reporting about) – he and his wife are buried here, under another cast of his famous “The Thinker” (see top picture). Mentioning his wife, Rose Beuret, it may be interesting to know that after having always been there, despite August’s different “adventures”, the couple finally got married in January 1917, Rose died a month later and August a few months later.

  

You can thus visit what was his home from 1895 until his death in November 1917 – the “Villa des Brillants”. Different donations and restorations make it today possible to get an impression of what his home looked like, the dining room with a painting by his friend J-J Henner (see my previous post), bedroom… We should know that some of the paintings that you now can find at the Paris Museum, by Renoir, van Gogh and others, those days decorated his Meudon home.

We should also know that Rodin donated everything to the French State, against the promise that the museum(s) should be created.

Then there is of course also his working studio.  We can compare with some photos from the beginning of the 20^th century, one with his (future) wife, two dogs and his then secretary, the famous poet Rainer Maria Rilke.

Rodin installed a separate building, partly brought here from his personal exposition pavilion during the 1900 World’s Fair, improved by the facade of a nearby castle (Château d’Issy) which had been in ruin since 1871. There were at certain times some 50 people working here, including a lot of assistants for plaster, casting… Rodin seems also to have travelled to his Paris “Hôtel Biron” more or less every day, where there was also a great activity. 

             

The plaster versions, several versions, pre-studies, of some of his most famous works can now be seen in the pavilion, e.g. “The Kiss”, “Balzac”, “The Burgers of Calais”, “The Gates of Hell”, “Victor Hugo”….  

… and also “The Age of Bronze” - among his first works (1877). There is a lot to be said about this sculpture, (there is even a photo of the model, August Neyt, to be found on the net), how Rodin was – falsely - suspected of casting on the living model, how he may have been inspired by Michelangelo’s “The Slave” (which also inspired an architect on a Paris post office building on which I posted here), how the name of the statue was changed… , but after having been exposed in Paris in 1877, “The Age of Bronze” clearly contributed to the beginning of a fantastic career.

Statues - Tuileries Gardens (1)

The Tuileries Gardens have been where they are since the 16th century. Until then you could here find a quarry for tiles (« tuileries » in French). Originally it was the garden park of the Tuileries Palace, built for Catherine de Medicis. The Palace was destroyed by fire during the Paris Commune in 1871 and a bit later completely dismantled. (You can find pieces of the Palace at some places in Paris – see previous post.)
The Gardens were rather immediately – as the first one in Paris – opened to public. They were redesigned by Le Nôtre (1664), Louis XIV’s major gardener (Versailles...), and have still more or less kept his design. They make today the junction between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde and were also the beginning of the “Historical Axis” (later completed via the Champs Elysées, the Arch of Triumph etc.). I plan to revert with a post about the Tuileries Gardens later this year, when the season makes them look nicer; leaves on the trees, flowers...). Today – and in a coming post – I will concentrate on the statues in the Gardens.

There are more than hundred of them, including a large number of white marble statues, a majority from the 19th century, but some are older (17th, 18th century). A few are moulded and the originals can be found at the Louvre or elsewhere. Among the better known artists you can notice G. Coustou and his uncle A. Coysevox who made the statue you can see on the top picture: “Fame of Louis XIV” which dates from 1702 and was placed here in 1719 (removed from the Marly Castle).

Among the older statues there are also a few in bronze from the 19th century (A. Carles – “Return from hunting” - and A.N. Cain)... ... and also four by Auguste Rodin, including a bronze version of the famous “Kiss”, placed just in front to the “Orangerie” building. (Marble version at the Rodin museum – see previous post.)
There are also a number of more modern statues and sculptures. I will revert on this on Monday.

... in the meantime, I wish you a nice weekend!

(I got a request to see the individual photos on my previous "snow post". I have put them "in full" and as a slideshow on Ipernity.)

Exhibitions

Last week I went to see the ongoing Camille Claudel exhibition at the Rodin Museum. I went early in the morning, as there is a long queue to get in.

I guess Camille Claudel and her life is known to most of you, but maybe just a few words: Camille Claudel (1864-1943) was one of the best sculptors ever. She worked first as an apprentice with Auguste Rodin, was his mistress for a couple of years, then worked independently for a few years, before being admitted to a psychiatric hospital in 1913. She spent her last 30 years in psychiatric institutions, on the demand of her family, including her famous author brother Paul, despite proposals from her doctors to have her released.

She destroyed a lot of her works; only some 90 statues, drawings and sketches remain... and almost all of it can be seen at the ongoing exhibition (April 15 – July 20). I would strongly recommend a visit!

I had of course the intention to take photos – and started. After my first four photos, on kind advice by the personnel, I realised that you are allowed to take photos in the Rodin museum (see previous post), but not of the exhibition. So instead I thought I should show you another art exhibition - where I was allowed to take photos.
Last Saturday my granddaughter Paloma, together with her kindergarten colleagues gave a “concert” with songs from different French regions – this is the reason she wears a regional dress. (She was strongly supported by her young brother Mattias.) After the “concert”, we were invited to see what kind of art she and her friends had produced during the school year, which soon is finished. I was amazed by the quality also of this exhibition!

My next post shold normally follow Wednesday.