Camille Claudel; August Rodin’s Muse, Lover, MentorNew Museum Showcases Claudel’s Genius 04.09.2025, 10:30 Uhr
and 04.09.2025, 18:30 Uhr
Museum Ludwig
and 04.09.2025, 18:30 Uhr
Museum Ludwig
ArtTalker Community,
Sculpture isn’t static. It breathes. It shifts with your gaze.
On my travels through France, I unexpectedly discovered the Musée Camille Claudel in the quiet riverside town of Nogent-sur-Seine, on the way to the Dordogne region. It was a serendipitous stop, yet it became a memorable experience.
The new modern glass architecture houses the largest collection of Claudel’s works in the world—around half of the approximately 90 surviving pieces—with 43 in the Claudel section alone. That scale gave me a rare chance to trace her evolution, from her early intuitive clay forms through her mature masterpieces.
Several versions of the famous sculpture Abandonment draw you in with their intimate tenderness. They stand apart in their quiet power. These sculptures show a remarkable restraint, yet every curve speaks of longing and vulnerability.
Nearby, busts of Rodin, her brother Paul, and her mother add a human dimension to her story. Knowing that her mother and brother controversially and tragically kept her confined in an asylum for the last 30 years of her life makes the encounter all the more poignant.
It is difficult to reconcile such an act with the brilliance and devotion visible in every piece. That contrast stayed with me long after I left.
Several versions of the famous work Abandonment:. Surrounding it are busts of Rodin, her brother Paul, and her mother who controversially and tragically chose to commit her to an asylum. It’s hard to reconcile the idea that someone so devoted to art could have been treated so brutally. I found myself deeply moved by that tension.
Sculpture is more than form—it’s the tangible trace of an artist’s persistence to make ideas real. On September 4 at Museum Ludwig, we will explore this very idea—through Hans Arp’s organic shapes, Picasso’s bold sculptural experiments, Lehmbruck’s soaring figures, Noguchi’s playful spaces. We’ll reflect on how an artist’s vision can breathe life into stone, bronze, or wood, creating forms that resonate far beyond their physical shape.
If you’ve ever wondered how sculptors turn vision into material reality through emotion, risk, and persistence—this ArtTalk will open new ways of seeing and feeling sculpture.
See you in Museum Ludwig, for the sculpture, and in the movement of form.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Artfully yours,
Karla
Resource
Musée Camille Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine a great way to learn more about Camille Claudel and the museum.
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ArtTalk Sign Up
Sessions
Session 1: 04.09.2025, 10:30 Uhr
Session 2: 04.09.2025, 18:30 Uhr
Sign Up Information
Register before the ArtTalk. Why? My ArtTalks are individual; each ArtTalk is unique and requires time and resources to prepare for. Minimum number of ArtTalk participants: 5. Maximum number of ArtTalk participants: 15. So please let me know; I’ll send you an email two days before the event IF the AT will note take place. No email? We’re all set, and you’re in!
Venue
Museum Ludwig, Heinrich-Böll-Platz, 50667 Köln
Fee
Regular ArtTalk 28€; Kids/Students/Artists 8€; KölnTag: 1st Thursday monthly, Museum entrance free with Cologne ID. Otherwise 7€ after 17 h
Please transfer the ArtTalk fee with your registration before the ArtTalk. If you pay and cannot attend, let me know BEFORE the ArtTalk and I will transfer your money back to you.
Bank Account
DE 17 6723 0000 4019 2455 50
Further Information
Ticket price included for Cologne citizens on long museum Thursday. We’ll meet in the middle of the central foyer, in front of the main cashier, at the column with the BLUE dot. Large bags (bigger than an A4 piece of paper) must be checked. Happy to answer your questions. Feel free to reach out to me Karla Schlaepfer: info@art-talks.de