The Musee Rodin in Paris was opened in 1919. Auguste Rodin donated his home, the Villa des Brillants, and his entire collection of sculptures, along with paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that he had acquired, to the French State on the condition that they turn the buildings into a museum.
The collection includes 6,600 sculptures, 8,000 drawings, 8,000 old photographs and 7,000 objects d’art. I said he was prolific. The visitor gets to see The Thinker, The Kiss and the Gates of Hell and much, much more up close.
We entered the gates and wandered through the beautiful garden surrounding the museum building.
I’m sure I’m not the only one to get this shot.
Looking back at the lovely house.
The Gates of Hell depicts a scene from the Inferno, from Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. It is 6 metres high, 4 metres wide and 1 metre deep and contains 180 figures, ranging in size from 15 centimetres to more than 1 metre.
The sculpture was commissioned in 1880 and meant to be delivered in 1885. Rodin would continue to work on the project for 37 years, until his death in 1917.
Come inside to see a tiny selection of the treasures there. The air conditioning was not working and the top floor in particular was horribly hot. I need to visit again to take a longer look.
The museum is stunning. For me the best was the garden, it was a joy to walk in and take in the incredible work of Auguste Rodin.
The Musee Rodin is at 77 Rue de Varenne, Paris.
If you’re a Rodin fan, try to find an opportunity to visit Museo Soumaya in Mexico City – not only for the building itself (worth the visit on its own) but for the largest collection of Rodin’s work outside France.
By: Ben on January 8, 2024
at 10:22 pm
Wow! He was extremely productive. I have not been to Mexico City but you never know.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2024
at 2:42 am
What a stunning garden! I love the topiary, I always love seeing what people can shape out of trees.
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on January 8, 2024
at 10:49 pm
The garden is stunning. They must have a large team of gardeners to keep it in shape.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2024
at 2:46 am
What an incredible place to visit. So much to see and take in. I am sure it would require many return visits. So much to see and do in Paris.
By: Camillus Davall on January 9, 2024
at 5:57 am
We were in Paris for a month and only scratched the surface.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 9, 2024
at 10:19 pm
This has always been my favorite museum in Paris. I absolutely love his work. Beautiful piece! Hope you are well! My daughter loved her time in Italy and then we had her host families son here for six weeks. It was quite fun and I learned a lot about Italian cooking as he showed me all sorts of recipes from scratch,
By: Nicole Melancon on January 10, 2024
at 2:24 am
This was my first visit, but it won’t be the last. I am pleased your daughter’s exchange went well.
By: Debra Kolkka on January 10, 2024
at 12:29 pm