Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Biron hotel, built in 1730 for Abraham Peyrenc of Moras, housed personalities such as the Duchess of Maine or the Marshal of Biron. After serving as a convent for the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, he was occupied by artists including Rodin, who installed his studio there in 1908. The state bought the building in 1911, and Rodin bequeathed his works there provided that a museum was created there.

The Rodin Museum opened in 1919, two years after the artist's death. It preserves nearly 6,800 sculptures, 8,000 drawings and 10,000 photographs, as well as art objects. The Parisian site, surrounded by a three-hectare garden, exhibits major works such as Le Penseur or Les Bourgeois de Calais, while the Villa des Brillants in Meudon offers an intimate look at Rodin's life.

The hotel in Biron, in a rock style, was renovated between 2012 and 2015. Today it hosts 700,000 visitors a year, making it one of the most frequented museums in France. The museum also organizes temporary exhibitions and opens to contemporary art, perpetuating Rodin's innovative spirit.

Rodin, a passionate collector, gathered ancients, Japanese engravings and works by artists like Daumier. His legacy also includes his copyright, allowing the museum to broadcast original bronzes. The villa of Meudon, where he lived, houses original plasters and his grave, offering an immersion in his creative process.

The Rodin Museum collaborates with international institutions, such as the Philadelphia Museum, and participates in cultural events. Its outreach extends beyond France, thanks to the artist's worldwide reputation. Films, such as Woody Allen's Minuit in Paris, were also made there.

The garden, decorated with monumental sculptures, and the old chapel transformed into an exhibition space complete this unique place. The museum thus combines historical heritage, art and modernity, while preserving the heritage of one of the greatest French sculptors.

Collection

Le musée conserve des collections d'une grande diversité car Rodin était un artiste collectionneur ; il présente principalement des sculptures, car les dessins, peintures et photographies anciennes ne peuvent être exposés de façon permanente pour des raisons de conservation.

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