Camille Claudel


Camille Claudel (1864–1943) was a French sculptor who defied both her family and the conventions of her time to devote herself entirely to her passion for sculpture.

At the beginning of her career, she became both student and lover of the artist Auguste Rodin. Recent research suggests that Camille played an active role in several sculptures and creative processes that were long credited solely to Rodin.

Her works are filled with sensitivity, sensuality, and a strength that is both profound and dazzling.

Rodin’s infidelity, together with a traumatic abortion and years of isolation, plunged Camille into a deep depression.

Her family committed her to a mental institution, where she remained for 30 years until her death. Although doctors believed she was well enough to leave, the Claudel family never authorized her release.

We must not allow her story to fade into oblivion. She already suffered enough in her lifetime for being a woman, an artist, and for wanting to live freely.