Rodin Museum

After you've conquered the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, take an afternoon in Paris to enjoy one of the most romantic spots in town, the Rodin Museum. Rodin himself lived and worked in this house, located on a quiet lane in the middle of the city, and he arranged the sculptures to take advantage of the gentle sunlight sifting in through the windows. Over the course of an afternoon, the light glides over the white marble figures, including the famous sculpture "The Kiss." You will find yourself breathless as you stand before the artist's vision of Dante's doomed lovers Paolo and Francesca. Just as Lancelot and Guinevere inspired this illicit affair, you may find yourself carried away in your own erotic escapade! If not, you can always walk out past "The Thinker" to enjoy a daydream or two in the museum's garden and cafe.

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You need not be an art lover to enjoy the elegant Rodin Museum on Paris' Left Bank. The 7-acre walled estate is a pleasure to visit whether you want to peruse a beautifully maintained house from the early 1700s (Rodin lived well) or simply stroll the spectacular grounds. View works by other artists, such as Camille Claudel, Rodin’s lover and a highly under-rated talent in her day. Bring a picnic lunch as the natives do or buy over-priced snacks from the food vendors that are discreetly hidden behind a tree-lined drive. Open every day except Monday. Admission is free on the first Sunday of the month.

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Would it be inappropriate to note that all great depictions of Hell seem to revel in providing meticulous detail of the sins of the flesh that send us to eternal damnation? Rodin's La Porte de l'Enfer does just this. The giant bronze doorway in the Musée Rodin garden appears to be in movement—this is no mere bas relief—the cast of characters, many from Dante's Divine Comedy, are either struggling to free themselves from the sculpture or luxuriating in their writhing debauchery. Several of these sinners did get a reprieve. You'll recognize many of Rodin's later sculptures here in miniature—The Thinker overlooks the whole grotesque/erotic scene and even that most romantic work, The Kiss, was originally embedded here. Rodin summed up his approach to the work (and perhaps to life in general) as one that was not driven by morality: "It has been from the beginning, and will be to the end, simply and solely a matter of personal pleasure."

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Three carefree women—their naked bronze forms an expression of joy—dance hand in hand in a circle. An enormous Hokusai-style wave, sculpted from pale green onyx, rises up behind them and threatens to break. This is Camille Claudel’s The Wave, a sculpture that broke from Auguste Rodin’s influence and embodies Claudel’s approach of “sketches after life”—taking inspiration from everyday situations. Rodin’s student, model, and lover was a master sculptor in her own right. The Wave and other works by Camille Claudel are on display at the Rodin Museum in Paris.

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