One of the best kept secrets in Paris is the Rodin Museum. This is a small palace, with charming gardens and impressive sculptures, which over time has become a favorite with locals. However, the Rodin is often left out of traveler’s itineraries, but here you will discover why this place is a must-see.
The various museums in France have numerous origins, some were created by private institutions, others received funding from the State and several were inaugurated by the artists themselves.
However, the Rodin Museum has one of the most curious origins.
In its beginnings, the building where it is located belonged to a French investor, who made his fortune selling paper money. Later, it became the accommodation for artists and dancers, including Auguste Rodin.
Rodin, the famous Gallic sculptor, came to inhabit the entire ground floor, where he created and exhibited several of his sculptural works. Rodin was fascinated by the building, one of his wishes being to live there for the rest of his life.
When the artist died, his works were donated to the French State, so the only thing missing was a place to present them to the public. To honor Rodin’s memory, the local administration bought the mansion, and it was transformed into the Rodin Museum.
It stands out as one of the most emblematic museums in the world that are dedicated to a single artist. It brings together more than 6,000 sculptures, as well as sketches, photographs and personal objects of Auguste Rodin. The Rodin Museum contains the world’s most important collection of the famous artist. The museum represents a symbol of modern sculptural art.
The three-hectare garden extends the exhibition of all of the artist’s sculptures and is the site of one of the most famous, “The Thinker”. The sculptures in the garden are integrated into the surrounding environment creating a perfect alliance between nature and sculpture.
Rodin transformed with his sculpture the canons of his time, giving his figures an unprecedented expressiveness. The Rodin Museum not only protects his work but also promotes his legacy internationally.
It also acts as an educational and cultural center organizing two temporary exhibitions a year as well as workshops and activities for all ages.
To visit the Rodin Museum is to make two visits in one, since its beautiful gardens deserve a special mention. These not only have large rosebushes, leafy trees and artificial lakes, but are also an open-air gallery.
In addition, in the gardens of the Rodin Museum we find one of today’s most famous sculptures, The Thinker, created by Auguste Rodin himself. Similarly, inside the museum there are many other works by different artists, including Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet.
Similarly, the Rodin exhibits one of the great sculptures of the contemporary French period, the Gates of Hell. This work, made with the casting technique in bronze, represents the most famous characters of the Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri, as well as those of The Flowers of Evil, a collection of poems created by Charles Baudelaire.
All this artistic, cultural and historical wealth makes the Rodin one of the most important museums in Paris. Of course, it is very small compared to the Louvre or the Natural History Museum, but you cannot miss the opportunity to visit it and discover its wonders.
If you are going to visit the Rodin Museum, you should know that it is open throughout the week, except on Mondays. Similarly, you have to buy a ticket.
However, in case you do not want to spend too much budget, the Rodin Museum allows its visitors to enter only the gardens, where they can see the sculptures that are exhibited there. You have to buy a ticket at a symbolic price that gives access to the gardens.
Finally, remember that the Rodin Museum is a beautiful space, but little visited, ideal if you love art and want to leave aside the large crowds.
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