Camille Claudel thumbnail 1
Camille Claudel thumbnail 2
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images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

Camille Claudel

Bust
1882-1899 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a portrait of Rodin's assistant and lover, Camille Claudel, a sculptress in her own right. Auguste Rodin's career maps the progress of 19th-century art, from the Romantic revolt against Neoclassicism, to the radical enquiry that paved the way for the Modernist developments of the 20th century. The V&A's collection of works by Rodin is unique in that they were given by the artist, to represent his art in Britain and commemorate British soldiers fighting in France in November 1914. In this bust Rodin has deliberately left the seam lines created by the piece moulds used in the casting. This is characteristic of his desire to challenge existing concepts of beauty and ‘finish’.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleCamille Claudel (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Bronze on onyx base
Brief description
Camille Claudel, bust by Auguste Rodin, bronze, France (Paris), 1882-1899
Physical description
bronze bust munted on Algerian onyx base
Dimensions
  • Weight: 8kg
  • Height: 23cm
Credit line
Given by Rodin in November 1914
Summary
This is a portrait of Rodin's assistant and lover, Camille Claudel, a sculptress in her own right. Auguste Rodin's career maps the progress of 19th-century art, from the Romantic revolt against Neoclassicism, to the radical enquiry that paved the way for the Modernist developments of the 20th century. The V&A's collection of works by Rodin is unique in that they were given by the artist, to represent his art in Britain and commemorate British soldiers fighting in France in November 1914. In this bust Rodin has deliberately left the seam lines created by the piece moulds used in the casting. This is characteristic of his desire to challenge existing concepts of beauty and ‘finish’.
Bibliographic references
  • Hawkins, Jennifer, Rodin Sculptures, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1975, p.75, ill.26.
  • Elsen, Albert E., Rodin’s Art, the Rodin Collection of the Iris & B Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts at Stanford University, Oxford University Press, Inc., 2003, p.308
  • Mitchell, Claudine. The Gift to the British Nation: Rodin at the V&A. In: Mitchell, Claudine. ed.Rodin: The Zola of Sculpture. Henry Moore Institute, 2003. pp. 183-200.
  • Trusted, Majorie. ed. The Making of Sculpture: the Materials and Techniques of European Sculpture. London: V&A Publications, 2007. p. 62. pl. 101.
  • Elliott, Ann and Dyer, Angela (Ed.), Rodin in Lewes, Lewes, Lewes District Council, 1999
  • Lampert, Catherine, Rodin, London, Royal Academy of Arts, 2006
Collection
Accession number
A.43-1914

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Record createdApril 18, 2005
Record URL
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