I've just returned from a short stay in Paris, and i feel i must recommend the Musee Rodin. Perhaps the fact that it is not one of the better known attractions in Paris accounts for the excellent value this museum gives - i.e. the entrance fee isn't highly over-inflated as with some Parisian sites i could (and probably will in due course) name.
I'm not a great sculpture person, but i had heard good things about this museum, and my first surprise was the price - 1 Euro ( yes - ONE ) for entry into the garden, which contains several large sculptures, and 3 Euros for entry to the garden and main building combined. There aren't many attractions in Paris that start at one Euro!
The garden is a little "threadbare" in November, but i am willing to put up with that in exchange for the room to move about without hordes of people, and the lack of crowds meant that i was able to devote as much time as i wanted to each exhibit, and i found with a few of them, that if iput my nose about 15cm from the nose of the sculpture for maybe 10 seconds, it almost wouldn't come as a surprise if the sculpture moved or spoke! I think that that was part of the genius of Rodin, that he could make chunky, solid bronze, life-size statues seem so "life-like". This came as revelation to me, a non-arty type person. I got the feeling that some of the sculptures were half-way through something, and frozen in the middle of what they were saying or doing.
Rodin's most famous piece, "The Thinker", appears in the garden, but i have now found out that it wasn't his best (in my opinion). There is one in inside the house that almost took my breathe away, and i wasn't the only one who stood in front of it for minutes on end.
Also in the house are sculptures by a couple of Rodin's contemporaries, a collection of his antiquities from ancient Egypt, Rome etc., and some paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir and one by Monet i particularly liked, but thay almost seem an irrelevance amongst the works by Rodin himself, which also include some of his painting.
There is so much in the house that i must admit that by the end i was, for the first time in my life, suffering from what might only be described as "sculpture fatigue", but i will not hesitate from visiting again - it made up for the catacombs being closed when i got there (by the way, the catacombs are closed until August next year for renovation, in case any of you are thinking of having a look)., which was to have been the highlight of my visit.
Do yourselves a favour next time you've got a couple of days in Paris, set aside the princely sum of 3 Euros and a couple of hours to get a real insight into Rodin. It's not really suitable for very young children (although there were 9/10 year-olds there as interested as i was), and i think it would be difficult if you have trouble with stairs, as i don't remember seeing a lift - although there are chairs dotted about if your feet are aching (or if you just want to sit down and look at the ornate decorations of the house itself, for instance).
I feel i've been educated, and i don't ask for any more than that.
And what was the sculpture that took my breath away (and almost broght a tear to my eyes)? You'll have to go and look for yourself. A hint - this one was made of marble.
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Dec 1st, 2004
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