06.14.07
Visiting the Rodin Museum
A friend of mine was in town this week and had a long list of exhibitions, concerts, and plays she was going to see. I went along with her to the Rodin Museum to see the show entitled Le Rêve Japonais (The Japanese Dream). Both the show and the museum were wonderful, as was the serene sculpture garden. For someone like me who is not usually a fan of sculpture, I was pleasantly surprised. It occurred to me that perhaps I never enjoyed sculpture because I hadn’t studied it very much at all.
The exhibition included many Japanese works from Rodin’s personal collection, as well as sketches the artist carried out himself that show the influence of Japanese prints on his own art. A sign at the entrance warns parents that some of the images are not suitable for children. Indeed, many of the prints were erotic and quite graphic. A large part of the exhibition focused on the Japanese actress Hanako, who appears in many sculptures and photographs.
The garden at the Rodin Museum seems to get a lot of press, and rightly so. Three of the artist’s major works – The Burghers of Calais (see photo above), The Gates of Hell, and The Thinker – are shown here amidst blooming flowers and winding paths. It is bordered by the walls of the enormous but graceful 18th-century hôtel particulier that houses the museum itself (and another great sculpture, The Kiss) and which served as the artist’s residence (!) from 1908. A visit to the gardens without access to the rest of the museum costs just one euro. I don’t know why it took me eight months to finally visit!
Musée Rodin
79, rue de Varenne
Paris 7e
01.44.18.61.10
métro Varenne or Invalides
Open everyday but Monday
