A Love That Crossed a 24-Year Gap: Camille Claudel's Busts

The sculptures displayed in this room are busts Rodin made with Camille Claudel as his model. Claudel was the woman Rodin loved; when the two first met, Rodin was forty-two and Claudel was eighteen. In a culture less preoccupied with age gaps, the two grew close, and Rodin left behind a range of sculptures and paintings of the woman he loved. Here you can see several different versions of the busts he made of her.

There's one more piece in this room worth noticing. Look above the door you came through, and you'll see a painting rendered in red and orange; look above the door directly across from it, and there's a similar painting there too. In total, four such paintings hang in this room, all inspired by Gaia, the earth goddess of Greek mythology. They were painted in 2020 by young artists, carrying forward Rodin's wish to support and nurture emerging talent.