IN THE GARDEN OF HÔTEL BIRON

The Hôtel Biron is the beautiful 18th-century mansion that houses the Musée Rodin in Paris.  The museum opened its doors in 1919, two years after Auguste Rodin died.  In 1753, the mansion, built between 1728 and 1730, was sold to Maréchal de Biron, who gave it its present name.   

In 1820, the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus became the owners of the property.  Its vocation was to educate the young girls of high society.  The mansion was stripped of all its embellishments and the gardens were allowed to grow wild.  The Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was dissolved in July, 1904, and the sisters were evicted. While awaiting a buyer, the Hôtel Biron was rented out to artists.  Its illustrious tenants included Isadora Duncan and Henri Matisse.  When the poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, who was Rodin's secretary, wrote to him about the mansion and abandoned gardens, Rodin rented four of the mansion's rooms in October of 1908 as his studio; by 1911, Rodin occupied the entire mansion.

Rodin loved the tangle of plants.  In 1908, Rodin first started placing some of his sculptures in the overgrown garden in addition to some of the ancient works of art from Egypt, Greece and Rome that he began collecting in the early 1890s. 

“Nature and Antiquity are the two great sources of life for an artist. In any event, Antiquity implies nature. It is its truth and its smile.”    Auguste Rodin (taken from www.musee-rodin.fr)

 

In 1910, the government of France purchased the property, initially to house the Department of Civil Buildings.  However, Rodin successfully negotiated with the French government; he would donate all his works to France under the stipulation that the French government keep the collection at Hôtel Biron:

“I give the State all my works in plaster, marble, bronze and stone, and my drawings, as well as the collection of antiquities that I had such pleasure in assembling for the education and training of artists and workers. And I ask the State to keep all these collections in the Hôtel Biron, which will be the Musée Rodin, reserving the right to reside there all my life.”   

Auguste Rodin - Correspondence of Rodin, volume III, 1908-1912, letter no. 103 to Paul Escudier, late 1909  (taken from www.musee-rodin.fr)

In 1916 the French legislature accepted Rodin's gift; the Musée Rodin opened its doors on August 4, 1919.

The first bronzes were placed in the gardens before World War I.   The large-scale Le Penseur (The Thinker) was transferred with its pedestal to the museum in 1922.  This image of a man lost in thought has become one of the most celebrated sculptures ever known.

The Thinker was eventually accompanied by an enlargement of Ugolino, set in the middle of the ornamental pool in 1927...

then by Les Bourgeois de Calais (Burgers of Calais) in 1937...

The statue of Balzac, an old bronze cast before 1936, was installed much later.  When the statue was originally unveiled, the crowd booed, a fitting tribute to the defiant writer.

In the 1993 restoration of the garden, which is spread over an area of three hectares, the landscape architect decided to keep the classical layout of the garden.  A large number of bronze sculptures are displayed throughout in the renovated gardens.   

Meditation with Arms

Fallen Caryatid with Urn

  





























The Three Shades (the souls of the damned): a larger version of what sits on top of The Gates of Hell.

The Shade: a sculpture in which Rodin depicted most fully the lessons he had learned from the study of the works of Michelangelo during his visits to Italy.

Many visitors to Paris miss this wonderful museum dedicated to the works of one of the most talented sculptors in history.  They concentrate on Musée d'Orsay or the Musée du Louvre.  Even if you don't walk through the mansion, take a stroll through the gardens where many of Rodin's most important works are displayed among some of most beautiful flowers you will see in Paris.

Musée Rodin has partially reopened after being closed for the last three months.  A temporary presentation of the permanent collection called Masterpieces on the Move shows the most important works by Rodin and Camille Claudel in the east wing of the museum.  The west wing of the museum is closed until April, 2013.

Musée Rodin

79 Rue du Varenne, 75007 Paris 

Phone: +33 (0)1 44 18 61 10

Fax:     +33 (0)1 44 18 61 30 

Metro: Varenne (Line 13) or Invalides (Line 13, Line 8)

R.E.R:  Invalides (line C)

Bus:    69, 82, 87, 92

• Admission fee is €6.00
• Admission fee with temporary exhibit is €9.00
• Admission fee for the gardens is €1.00
• TIP: You should use your Paris Museum Pass.
• Open Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-5:45 (last ticket sold 5:15).
• Beginning April 3, 2012 Open Wednesday until 8:45. 
• Closed Mondays.
• Closed January 1, May 1 and December 25.

For more information visit the website: http://www.musee-rodin.fr/

NOTE: All photos in this post were taken by me during my visit in May, 2006.

DON'T STAND IN LINE!

Standing. In. Line.

It's inevitable when visiting popular European destinations. Or is it? Most people don't realize that those long lines you see outside the major museums and attractions are not to get into the sights, but to buy the entrance tickets. With some careful research and planning, you can avoid wasting time standing in line to buy your ticket and spend that time more wisely actually visiting the sight. You have precious little vacation time as it is, and you're about to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars getting to your destination. Spend a few minutes planning and researching in order to spend your time wisely!

PRE-PURCHASE THOSE TICKETS!

The simplest way to avoid standing in line to buy a ticket at your favorite sight is to pre-purchase your tickets online. Major European attractions, including the major Paris museums, the major Florence museums, the Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Vatican Museum and Colosseum in Rome allow you to pre-purchase and print out your tickets online. There may be a nominal convenience fee charged, but that is nothing compared to the convenience you will experience by not having to stand in line, especially at the Vatican Museum. Having that ticket in hand will allow you to jump to the front of the line or enter through a separate entrance.

TIP!

Ask your hotel if they sell tickets to the major sites in their city.

On my recent trip to Amsterdam, we arrived from Brussels via train on a Sunday morning. Our first planned visit was to the Rijksmuseum. The tram ride from Centraal Station to our hotel took us past the Rijksmuseum. Since it was Sunday, the line to purchase tickets to the museum was out the door, down the street and around the corner...easily an hour's wait--in the rain! I simply would not stand in that line. We pre-purchased our tickets from our hotel which allowed us to enter the museum through a different line. When we arrived at the museum, there were about 10 people in that line. We waited perhaps 10 minutes to enter the museum.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE MUSEUM PASSES!

Another option in most major European cities is a museum/transportation pass.

IN PARIS:

The best one is the Paris Museum Pass. This pass will save you money if you plan to visit several Paris sights. If you purchased individual tickets (even online) for the Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, Rodin and Pompidou museums plus St. Chapelle, you will spend at least €49.00. A 2-day Paris Museum Pass will cost you €32.00; the 4-day pass will cost you €48.00. However the most important feature of the Paris Museum Pass is it will allow you to skip the line.

FOR EXAMPLE...

One of the highlights of my trip to Paris in 2006 was visiting the Musée de l'Orangerie which had just reopened that week after being under renovation for years! We were thrilled to be able to see Monet's famous Waterlilies paintings.

Since we were visiting Paris for six days, we purchased a Paris Museum Pass.

When we arrived at the Musée de l'Orangerie, the line to get in measured from the museum entrance into the Jardin des Tuileries. Did we have to wait in that line?

Absolutely not! Because we had our Museum Passes, we were able to walk past dozens of people directly to the entrance doors. The Museum Pass also saved us from standing in the queues at St. Chapelle and the Louvre.

Le Bassin aux Nympheas, Soleil Couchant by Monet in the Musée de l'Orangerie.

MUSEUMKAART BEATS THE I AMSTERDAM CARD!

When visiting Amsterdam, there are two major museum pass options: I amsterdam Card and the Museumkaart. I recommend the Museumkaart which costs €39.95, is valid for one year and can be used in museums and churches all over the Netherlands, not just in Amsterdam. Use it to visit the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem or the fantastic Mauritshuis in The Hague, home of Vermeer's Girl With A Pearl Earring in addition to those sights in Amsterdam. The main advantage of the Museumkaart over the I amsterdam Card is that wonderful ability to skip the queue!

TIP: Neither pass includes the Anne Frank House. Pre-purchase your tickets online and you will be able to enter through a different entrance skipping the long lines.

NOTE: The Rijksmuseum only allows you to skip the line if you have actual tickets, so I suggest you pre-purchase these tickets, then buy your Museumkaart in the Rijksmuseum. If you feel this is spending too much, just remember if you buy individual tickets for the other major sights such as the Nieuwekerk (€5) and Oudekerk (€5), Van Gogh Museum (€14), Amsterdam Historical Museum (€10), Our Lord in the Attic (€7), Frans Hals Museum (€7.50) and the Mauritshuis (€12), you would end up spending over €60.00 and you've have to stand. in. line.

OTHER EUROPEAN CITY PASSES:

Many other European cities have some type of visitor combo/museum/transportation ticket designed to save you valuable Euros and allow you to skip those queues. Berlin has the 3-day Schaulust MuseenBerlin for €19 which includes the museums located on Museum Island; Munich has a day pass or 5-visit pass to their Pinakothek Museums; London has the London Pass which has the option to add transportation for an additional cost (NOTE: This pass is more cost-effective if you purchase a multi-day version--the one day pass is £40.00--YIKES!); Bruges has its 3-day €15.00 Combo-Ticket; Rome has its 3-day Roma Pass (€25), a transportation/discounted museum/archeological site pass; and starting in September of this year, Florence should have its 3-day €50.00 Florence Museum Card which will include reservations and a bus pass. The current museum pass is the Friends of the Uffizi Museum Pass (€60/individual or €100/family of 4). This annual pass allows you to not only skip the queue and avoid having to make those necessary reservations for the Uffizi and Accademia Museums, but will allow you to visit the museums as many times as you want. Logically, this is the perfect pass for those long-term travelers to Florence.

You've worked hard to save for that trip to Europe. You have a limited amount of time, but a list of sights to see as long as your arm. A few minutes of research will save you time and money allowing you more time to enjoy your visit.

Thank you for visiting,

A Great Europe Trip Planner 

All photos were taken by me.