Hi friends, welcome back to my Paris and London Anniversary series 🙂 Hard to believe this is my second to last post about our time in Paris! On our final full day, we spent the morning with our photographer taking pictures near the Eiffel Tower, ate breakfast at our hotel, and then headed to the Rodin Museum. On our way, we passed by the Army Museum containing the tomb of Napoleon. This building may have caught your eye from my pictures at the top of the Eiffel Tower, the gold dome sticks out among all the other buildings. We didn’t have time for this popular museum, but it could make the itinerary on a future trip to Paris.
I figured Jon and I would have a bit of museum fatigue by the end of our time in Paris, so I purposely saved the Rodin Museum for the end. This museum is relatively small compared to the other museums and showcases the work of Auguste Rodin, regarded as the greatest French sculptor. He lived from 1840-1917 and worked as well as resided in this mansion. Rodin donated his home and collection to the French State so that it could become a museum enjoyed by all.
Jon and I started outside in the gardens before making our way inside. The garden spans seven acres and features sculptures throughout, much like Rodin did when he lived here. They were my favorite part of the museum and were so beautiful! I especially loved the Rose Garden.
The Rodin Museum reminded me a lot of touring the Petite Trianon in Versailles.
The most famous piece, Thinking Man. What do you think he’s pondering?
The Gates of Hell including a small Thinking Man.
We entered the mansion and the entry looked incredibly similar to the Petite Trianon with the grand staircase and black and white marble floor.
The Kiss was one of the first works by Rodin that the public loved. He was often met with criticism but fortunately he didn’t let that deter him.
Rodin often made small scale versions of each sculpture before creating the giant masterpieces. The collection includes his different versions so it was neat to see the progression from start to finish. You can get a hint for the smaller scales in the background of the below picture.
Walking Man is another popular piece that depicts the movement of his subject.
There are a few other artists’ work featured in the museum including Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir.
I would definitely recommend checking out the Rodin Museum. It’s not a huge time commitment and I believe the gardens alone are worth the price of admission. We bought a combination ticket with the Orsay Museum to save a few euros and this allows for the flexibility of choosing any date/time too. If you’re an art connoisseur you could also get the audio guide to learn more about this eclectic artist and his pieces. Jon and I skipped the guide and meandered through enjoying this serene spot in the middle of Paris.
After leaving the Rodin Museum, we grabbed another baguette and enjoyed it in the Jardin de Tuileries before our final excursion of the trip, an outstanding tour of the Palais Garnier. Stay tuned for my final Paris post!
Posts in my Paris and London Anniversary series:
- Day 1 – Saint Chapelle, the Concierge, and Notre Dame
- Day 2 – Palace of Versailles
- Day 2 – Versailles Garden
- Day 2 – Touring the Versailles Summer Homes
- Day 3 – Louvre Museum
- Day 3 – Champs Elysees & Arc de Triomphe
- Day 4 – Montmartre & Sacre Coeur
- Day 4 – Musee d’Orsay & Crepes
- Day 5 – Luxembourg Gardens & Eglise Saint-Eustache
We enjoyed the Rodin Museum. So much talent and every age has its critics. Perhaps one of his critics might have been his wife, due to the affair he was purported to be having with his apprentice who inspired many of his better works. As to the Thinking Man, he might be thinking…”Now why did I come in here”? Great memories Lyssy. Allan
Oh yes I read about that affair but forgot to take a picture of the sculpture he made of him walking away from the mistress to the wife. I could hardly make a nice pinch pot in ceramics, so I definitely admire his art! He could definitely be thinking that!
Nice overview of the Rodin Museum, Lyssy. We love art, so I can imagine that we would spend a lot of time at this museum and its spectacular grounds. Thanks for sharing another great post!
Thank you! Definitely a great museum worth checking out! It’s also nice that it’s not an overwhelming size and the gardens are so beautiful! Glad you enjoyed this post!
I’ll definitely be adding the Rodin Museum to my schedule when planning my next visit to Paris. It’s gardens are a delight too!
You’ll love it, especially the gardens!
Oh wow, the Rodin Museum looks awesome, especially the grounds/gardens! I remember you were recently in Philly, were you able to see the The Rodin there? Would love to know how you’d compare the two experiences.
Such a beautiful museum inside and out! You are right! We didn’t have time to stop into the Rodin Museum in Philly, but I remember walking by it on the way to the Rocky Steps. Next time we are in Philly we will be visiting more museums!
I have a photo of everyone from our class trip (really there were just 6 of us that could afford/went on the trip) sitting at the base of thinking man. We enjoyed the gardens a lot but I’m not even sure we went inside… I guess we must have but I don’t remember it at all. Now I want to pull out all my old books, journals, and photos from my trip. You are so lucky to have gotten to see so much!
What a fun picture to have! I liked the gardens a lot more than the inside of the museum. I’m so glad these posts are bringing great memories from your trip. We had such an incredible trip and really did see it all!
Thinking Man is wondering where he left his keys. One of my favourite Parisian museums. – beautifully photographed. You must visit Les Invalides next time.
Thinking Man reminds me of a similar question your beloved wonders too 🙂 Thank you, it’s such a beautiful museum! I will put Les Invalides on our list next time!
Exactly
When visiting the Rodin Museum, visitors can find statues seen elsewhere that they did not always know were by Rodin. His work has been cleverly marketed. As the Rodin Museum has a large garden, it was one of the first to reopen at the end of the lockdown. I rushed in and have not yet been back to see inside, which remained closed at the time.
The gardens are so beautiful, my favorite part of the museum! I hope you get to see the inside soon you’ll love it. His work is very distinct!
The art looks fantastic; however I’m more impressed with your photos of the house and grounds. Sculpting must be a very lucrative profession. Great question about Thinking Man. I’ll say he is wondering why he didn’t pose for a sculptor that would let him wear clothes.
Thank you! The house and grounds were my favorite! I can’t imagine being a sculpture, it’s not like you can erase a mistake. That is a valid point, especially if he could’ve been posing in the winter.
Lovely photos. The garden is a beautiful setting for Rodin’s sculptures. The Thinking Man is wondering what’s it all about. We saw a few Rodin pieces during our time in England, such distinct works.
Thank you! It is such a beautiful setting for a museum for sure. That’s a deep question to think about! His work is very distinctive and very interesting!
Wow the building itself for the Rodin Museum is so detailed, and the gardens as well. The sculptures are so beautiful!
Such an amazing Rodin Museum .I would love to visit this area .thanks for sharing this Anita
Woha, simply mind blowing scenes Lyssy!
Looks like an ideal place to explore, looking at all of these stunning sceneries.
This brings back memories on an expedition I took part in the beautiful island nation of Sri Lanka in South Asia.
I set out on a journey to explore the longest river of Sri Lanka; River Mahaweli with a group of kayakers paddling for 3 long days.
And trust me when I say this, it was ‘heaven on earth” from lush greeneries to all the flora and fauna simply captivated me. Read the full story here, https://sachsattic.wordpress.com/2022/07/24/exploring-the-river-mahaweli-on-a-kayak/
We enjoyed the Rodin museum too. As I’ve said, it was November, so the gardens were nowhere near like what you saw. I’m enjoying seeing them in full bloom.
I was surprised to learn Rodin lived a full four hundred years after Michelangelo. Some of his sculptures suggest they were of the same period of time. “The Kiss” is amazing, especially the accuracy of the depiction of muscles and proportion of the limbs. Michelangelo mastered the human body as well (by studying cadavers). I really need to read “The Agony and the Ecstasy” again.
I could barely make a pinch pot in ceramics at school, so his work is extra impressive! I don’t think I could study cadavers for my art, I’d pass out haha.