Rodin, the first authoritative monograph from the Musée Rodin, is written by the museum's leading experts, with a foreword from its director. All facets of the artist's life and art are explored in chapters that cover the artistic context of the day, his education, the commission of The Gates of Hell, his relationship with Camille Claudel, his monuments, the exhibition that brought him international acclaim, his studios, his sources of inspiration, from dance and eroticism to poetry and cathedrals, the final years of his life, and the international museums dedicated to his incomparable art, along with a detailed chronology and bibliography. Studies of key works, which include sculpture, drawings, engravings, and paintings, are illustrated in photographs commissioned for this publication. Rodin created much controversy in his lifetime (1840-1917); his passionate sculptures met criticism from conservatives but adoration from the avant-garde. Today he is revered as a forward-thinker who took a decisive step away from the dry, academic art of the 19th century toward a freer, more expressive style that foreshadowed modernism and abstract sculpture.
