26 Oct

“Rhodia Bourdelle: the story of a life and a museum” – 18 November 2015 to 26 March 2016

The Bourdelle Museum is a genuine studio/museum. A building with a special story to uncover while visiting the latest exhibition.

Only a 15 minutes walk from Hotel Raspail Montparnasse, the Bourdelle Museum is a genuine studio/museum where the artist lived with his family and worked from 1885 until his death.
Rhodia Bourdelle, the artist’s daughter, constantly strove to keep the memory of her father alive by creating and maintaining the museum where she lived until her death.
Through the artworks as well as the building and its imprints, the permanent collection and “Rhodia Bourdelle: the story of a life and a museum” exhibition will introduce you to an exceptional collection and open the doors to reveal the personal life of this artist and his family.

Antoine Boudelle

Born in Montauban, France, in 1861, Antoine Bourdelle left school at the age of 13 to work in his father’s cabinet-making workshop, taking night classes at the school of art. A few years later, he started at the Toulouse School of Fine Art. He was then admitted to the National School of Fine Arts in Paris, working alongside Falguières, but left after only two years.

He was hired by Rodin in 1893. The two men had great respect for each other but Bourdelle decided to leave Rodin in 1908 to assert his own style.
Bourdelle taught at the Grande Chaumière Academy from 1909, with Alberto Giacometti, Henri Matisse, Aristide Maillol and Germaine Richier among his students.
At the same time, he had a constant stream of commissions and presented exhibition after exhibition. He was notably contacted to work on the Champs-Elysées Theatre between 1910 and 1913, where he did the Art Déco bas-reliefs.
At the time of his death in 1929, Bourdelle was acknowledged as one of the greatest artists of the day.

Rhodia Bourdelle: the story of a life and a museum

The exhibition takes you on an original journey within the Bourdelle Museum. Guided by the sculptor’s daughter, you will discover the story behind the woman who devoted her life to promoting her father’s work.

Rhodia, along with her husband, Michel Dufet, and her mother devoted themselves to keeping the artist’s memory alive. They single-mindedly transformed this work and living space into a sanctuary open to the public. Rhodia became the museum’s curator in 1972. She expanded the collections, documented, published, organised exhibitions and maintained relations with Bourdelle’s students. Through her love and admiration, she has ensured that her father’s work continues to shine well beyond his studio walls.

ISADORA Plume et encre de Chine aquarelle

The Museum

The museum is designed around Bourdelle’s apartment and studios which, despite being renovated, remain intact, offering an immersive experience.
The artist moved into 16 Impasse du Maine (today 18 Rue Antoine Bourdelle) in 1885, in the artists’ suburb of Montparnasse.

The Studio

Thanks to Rhodia Bourdelle’s persistence, the Bourdelle Museum was officially opened in 1949 – only 20 years after the artist’s death. A first extension was built in 1961 to showcase the collection’s large-scale sculptures. A second was added in 1992, this time with a clean, elegant style.
This quality complex with its multiform, contrasting style is so permeated with the artist’s personality and private life that it has maintained a coherent feel.

Practical information:

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am-6pm.
Price: