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.