ImagesBrighton pictures of the week 13-12-2004

IMAGESBRIGHTON photography by david gray
	R O D I N M U S E U M P A R I S
	P I C T U R E S O F T H E W E E K 1 3 - 1 2 - 2 0 0 4

Auguste Rodin, the French sculptor who lived between 1840 and 1917, is still one of the best loved artists in the world and the museum in Paris devoted to his work is justifiably among the most popular in France. The Rodin Museum near Les Invalides on the Left Bank, occupies a fine early 18th century house in which the sculptor worked in the latter years of his life and was also used by Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso and the dancer Isadora Duncan. Rodin so adored the house and its park-like garden that he persuaded the French government, which (astonishingly) had been planning to demolish it, to make it a museum for his work in return for the donation of his entire estate. Much of the charm of the Musee Rodin comes from its relaxed atmosphere, with visitors able to walk freely around rooms full of sculptures, paintings, drawings and furniture. The famous "Kiss" sculpture, inspired by Rodin's young mistress Camille Claudel, is in the house, while "The Thinker" and "Balzac" are in the lovely garden. Then, to supplement the artistic delights, there's also an excellent outdoor cafe.

The Musee Rodin and garden in December 1988 (image 614-2 )

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