Rêve d'Égypte

For the first time, the Musée Rodin will reveal Rodin's relation to Egyptian art. The exhibition will showcase an Egyptian Rodin, inspired by an Egypt he dreamed up, fantasised and then collected.

« RÊVE D’ÉGYPTE » : RODIN's Dream of Egypt

The exhibition features over 400 items, all restored for the occasion, which include Auguste Rodin's personal collection of Egyptian art, his own sculptures and drawings, as well as archives and photographs to put into context his "friends of the last hour", as the artist liked to call the antiques he cherished. 

It also evokes the echo of Egyptian art in Rodin's work, through his research on the representation of the human body, the simplification of forms, fragmentation and monumentality. For instance, the Monument to Balzac (1898) of which he said "Balzac is the Sphinx of France".

Interview with Bénédicte Garnier

With English subtitles

Discover the interview of Bénédicte Garnier, exhibtion curator and head of scientific activities of Rodin's collection and the Meudon site. How did Rodin come to discover Egypt ? How does Egyptian art echo in his work ? What was Rodin's ambition in creating his museum ? All these question and more are answered by Bénédicte Garnier as she recounts XIXth century Paris, the  egyptomania of the period and the messengers who brought Egypt to Rodin. 

An artist's collection on display

The exhibition is presented in sequences that alternate between Rodin's Egyptian studio and his Egyptian museum, at the Villa des Brillants in Meudon and the Hôtel Biron in Paris. The visit also reveals several narratives of XIXth century visions of Egypt; they conjure the intermediaries, writers, artists, antiquarians and Egyptologists, who guided the artist down an Egyptian path by feeding him various visual references, stories or artifacts. The constitution of Rodin's collection thus reveals the history of the art market and antiquarians of this period.  It is part of the Champollion commemorative programme this year, organised by France Mémoire.
 

« RODIN and egyptian art » : The research Programme

The exhibition sheds light on an exceptional collection, now available on a dedicated website. This site is the result of a fifteen-year multidisciplinary research programme, initiated by Bénédicte Garnier, head of Rodin's antique collection and curator of the exhibition, with the support of a scientific committee and the participation of young students and researchers.

Curator

Bénédicte Garnier, head of scientific operations for Rodin's collection and the musée Rodin - Meudon.