Camille Claudel was a brilliant and underrated sculptor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She spent more than a decade as the collaborator and lover of the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. This association has often diminished recognition of the overwhelming beauty and power of her work, which many now view as more inspired than Rodin’s. Camille served as Rodin’s muse and enabled his prolific output by providing constant inspiration and sacrificing her time and talents to his sculptures. Their relationship ultimately ended after Camille was forced to terminate a pregnancy and Rodin refused to leave his long-term partner.

In the years following their split, Camille thrived artistically, but her mental health deteriorated. Later, just days after her father’s death, her mother and brother had her committed to a mental asylum. She spent the remaining thirty years of her life in isolation and despair.

Claudel Sculptures

Song 2: “La Valse” (The Waltz)

Song 3: “Shakuntala”

Song 4: “La petite châtelaine”

Song 5: “The Gossips”

Song 6: “L’age mûr” (The Mature Age)