Opening of the new Camille Claudel Museum
March 30, 2017
10, rue Gustave Flaubert
Nogent-sur-Seine
Between 1876 and 1879, Camille Claudel spent three years as a teenager in the small town of Nogent-sur-Seine in the department of Aube, some one hundred kilometers from Paris. These were determining years for the young artist as she met her future master and “discoverer” of her talent, French sculptor Alfred Boucher.
The Camille Claudel museum opened on 26th of March in the very same house where the sculptor and her family used to live. The museum is meant as a tribute to this artist who has been cheated out of her rightful aknowledgement, who is sadly more famous for her hardships and internment into a mental asylum than for her genial and plentiful artwork. The museum exhibits some 43 art pieces from Camille Claudel, which are thoughtfully organised into a thematic itinerary.
All main stages of her life are represented in this itinerary: starting from her early years in the naturalist movement with her first art master Alfred Boucher, followed by her apprenticeship with Rodin to whom she became his closest collaborator. From such renowned art pieces as Old Helena (« Vieille Hélène ») to Dawn (« L’Aurore ») and also The Crouching Woman (« La Femme accroupie ») or the monumental sculpture Perseis and the Gorgon (« Persée et la Gorgone »), we have an insight into the artist’s sense for architercture and public space management, her relations with other artists in her entourage and finally, an understanding of her struggle.
The museum also exhibits a collection of sculptures from French artists of the 19th and 20th century, among these art pieces from Dubois and Boucher.
A grand exhibit is planned portraying a dialog between Claudel and Rodin. From their very first meet in Paris in 1883, master-sculptor Rodin was seduced by his new apprentice’s talent. Their intimate work liaison, augmented by their passionate love affair, resulted in the creation of unique artwork marked by a common handprint.
More information about the museum here
More information about project #naistEst here