Postcards From Susan: Le Nouveau Rodin

Monday, January 4, 2016

Le Nouveau Rodin

The last time we visited the Rodin Museum, we expected to see a special exhibit of Doisneau photos. When we arrived, a nice gentleman at the door advised us that publicity had been incorrect, and the photos were in Meudon, out of town. And, the building housing the collection was closed for renovations. But we were welcome to visit the gardens, so we did.

But now the Musee Rodin has been renovated, and we wanted to see what the last three years was all about.

It was worth it. The building has been completely renovated, down to the rafters, complete with a film showing how the work was done. The walls are painted in a special Biron gray, perfected by a French paint company to match the color in Rodin's time found when they worked on the walls. Many new objects have been added, as well as very interesting short films about the techniques of sculpture, and Rodin's works. One showed something I had never known -- many of the subjects of Rodin's works were produced many times and in different sizes. One, of a kneeling man, is shown in the museum in about life-size, and was used in the giant doors, the gates of hell, twice -- once facing outwards haging from the upper center area, and second time facing inwards on the outer section.

I knew that Rodin painted, but I was surprised at how good his paintings were. There were many shown that were not in the museum before.

He also made ceramics for a more commercial market.

Many of the old familiar pieces were there, but in new and different placements.

One room was devoted to replicating a room as it was used by Rodin, a hodge-podge collection of works of others as well as his own that he found interesting.

As usual, I found the gardens at least as lovely in winter as they are in the summer, and the views of Napoleon's tomb and the Eiffel Tower were much better since the trees are bare.