Rare Film of Sculptor Auguste Rodin Working at His Studio in Paris (1915)

We previously featured a series of notable short films by French artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Edgar Degas. Let’s take a look at one last rare glimpse of the great sculptor. Auguste Rodin.

This footage was shot in 1915, two years before Rodin’s death. There are several sequences. The first photo shows the artist at a pillared entrance to an unidentified structure, followed by a short shot of him posing in a garden somewhere. The rest of the film, starting at 53 seconds, is clearly shot at the palace, but it is in disrepair; Hotel BironRodin used this place as his studio and second home.

The house was built as a private residence in the early 18th century and served as a Catholic girls’ school from 1820 until about 1904, when it became illegal to use public funds for religious education. After the last of the nuns left, the rooms at Hôtel Biron were rented out to a variety of people, including notable artists such as Jean Cocteau, Isadora Duncan, Henri Matisse, and Rainer Maria Rilke, who served as Rodin’s secretary for a time. Rilke’s wife, the sculptor Clara Westhof Rilke, was the first to tell Rodin about the site in 1909.

Rodin initially rented four rooms on the main floor, but became concerned when he learned of plans to sell the property to a developer. So he signed a contract with the government. In exchange for bequeathing all his works to the French government, the sculptor was allowed to live in the mansion for the rest of his life, and after his death, the property became his owner. Rodin Museum.

Actor at that time Sacha Guitry His cameraman arrived to film this scene Sous de chez nousor “of our land,” Rodin was the only resident of the Hôtel Biron. In the film, the 74-year-old artist is shown descending the stairs of his weed-covered mansion and working indoors with a hammer and chisel to chip away at a marble statue. When Rodin was once asked how he made his statues, he replied, “I choose a block of marble and cut off everything I don’t need.”

Note: An earlier version of this post appeared on the site in 2012.

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