Rodin Museum
Snapshot
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Prices & Opening Times
Prices
Full price €13
EU visitors under 26: Free
Paris Museum Pass holders: Free
Tickets Cancelation Policy
Official website: non-refundable
Affiliated partner: non-refundable
Opening times
Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am – 6.30 pm
Last admission at 5.45 pm
Highlights & Photos
Highlights
Sculptures By Rodin
- The Age Of Bronze
- The Gates Of Hell
- The Three Shades
- The Thinker
- Monument To Balzac
- Crouching Woman
Paintings from Rodin’s Collection
- Claude Monet, Belle-Ile
- François Lemoyne, Diana Returning From The Hunt
- Auguste Renoir, Nude In The Sunlight
- John Singer Sargent, Portrait Of Rodin
- Vincent Van Gogh, The Harvesters
- Alexandre Falguière, Seated Diana
Photos
How to get there
Metro: Varenne (line 13) or Invalides (lines 8, 13)
Rer: Invalides (line c)
Bus: 69, 82, 87, 92
Vélib‘: 9 boulevard des Invalides
Car park: boulevard des Invalides
Eat & Drink nearby
L’ Augustine
Sculpture garden of the Rodin museum
Phone: +33 0145558439
Menu (multilingual version)
Valid ticket museum needed to acess
Serves light meals, snacks, and a dish of the day
We may earn a commission from affiliate links
Full Guide
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Located in the centre of Paris, is conveniently close to both the Eiffel tower and the Invalides.
The official opening date was 04th Aug 1919 and it counts with 700,000 visitors annually.
At the Rodin Museum, you can enjoy the following:
- The Hôtel Biron: The museum is located in the Hôtel Biron, as a result of an agreement established between Rodin and the French state.
- The museum’s collection: In addition to Rodin’s sculptures, the museum also features drawings, old photographs, and works by Camille Claudel.
- Paintings from Rodin’s collection, including Renoir’s “Nude in the Sunlight,” Monet’s “Belle-Île,” and three works by Van Gogh (including “Père Tanguy”).
- The garden: It is one of the largest private gardens in Paris and where some of Rodin’s most famous sculptures are located.
- Atelier Rodin: From June 11th to August 28th, regardless of your age, you can experience the art of the great master.
- Café-Restaurant located in the sculpture garden.
- Rodin Museum-Meudon: Second location located in Rodin’s former home in the outskirts of Paris in Meudon. This location is free to visit and closes during the winter.
The museum is open…
Tuesday to Sunday | 10 am – 6.30 pm
Last entry at 5.45 pm
On 24th and 31st Dec, closes at 5.30 pm | last entry at 4.45 pm
Closed on…
1st Jan, 1st May, and 25th Dec.
In winter, the sculpture garden closes at nightfall (for safety reasons):
From 13th Nov to 08th Jan, closure at 5 pm
From 09th Jan to 15th Jan, closure at 7.15 pm
From 16th Jan to 05th Feb, closure at 7.30 pm
From 06th Feb to 28th Feb, closure at 6 pm
From 01st Mar, closure at 6.30 pm.
An hour before the museum closes, at 5:30 pm, the ticket office will close, and the rooms will start to close at 6:15 pm.
Famous Rodin’s masterpieces at the museum
Young girl with flowers in her hair (1870)
- A prime example of his extraordinary talent because of the young artist’s already-developed ability to depict different textures through his intense attention to detail.
- Modelled his female busts after examples
- Young girl with flowers in her hair -hints at a depth of psychological expression t
- Contrasting surfaces amplify the poignancy of this bust, which captures the purity, tenderness, and raw sexuality of a young woman.
The age of bronze (1877)
- Located in the sculpture gardens
- Sparked a stir in the art world due to its extraordinary realism and murky subject matter.
- Took eighteen months to create and was based on a live model of a Belgian soldier.
The gates of hell (1890-1900)
- Located in the sculpture gardens
- Initially, it was intended for the 1889 World’s Fair, but the author suspended the project in 1890.
- In his first solo exhibition in 1900, he displayed a large part of the components of this piece, but separately.
- The first version of the Gates of Hell, in bronze and marble, was exhibited at the Luxembourg Museum in 1907.
- It features over 200 figures and groups, including some of his most famous works such as The Thinker.
- It is inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, but especially by Baudelaire’s Flowers of Evil.
The three shades (1886)
- Located in the ground floor, room 5
- The set of The three shades was created for the top of the Gates of Hell. It was later made larger by Rodin to become an independent piece.
- Dante depicts the souls of three deceased Italians, represented by three shadows, dancing in a circle and bemoaning their fate in shades.
- To keep an eye on the crowd below, Rodin placed them far above “the gates of hell.”
- The shades, or the personification of death, stood in the centre of the lintel.
The Thinker (1903)
- Located in the sculpture gardens
- Some have speculated that Dante himself represents the thinker in his poem. This, however, is debatable.
- It’s been hinted elsewhere that the thinker is mulling on the afterlife, humankind, and maybe existence itself.
- It was originally designed to be smaller (about 70 cm) and to be part of the Gates of Hell. However, it ended up becoming an independent and larger version that became very popular, with various copies around the world.
The kiss
- Located in the ground floor, room 5
- Dante’s divine comedy inspired the original Paolo and Francesca of “the kiss,” a couple who were tragically killed by Francesca’s husband on their first kiss and doomed to spend eternity wandering through hell.
- In the early stages of the gates’ development, Rodin placed this group on the lower left door, opposite Ugolino.
- However, in 1886, he concluded that this image of joy and sensuality did not fit in with the overall subject of his massive project.
- Completed in 1898. Integrated into the collection of the Luxembourg Museum in 1901 and later into the collection of the Rodin Museum in 1919.
Monument to Balzac (1898)
- Located in the sculpture gardens
- The work took 6 years to complete. It generated some controversy because Rodin created an evocation of Balzac rather than a portrait with the typical attributes of the writer.
- When the model was finally cast in bronze in 1939, it was installed on the corner of Boulevard du Montparnasse and Boulevard Raspail—22 years after the sculptor had passed away.
Eternal springtime (1884)
- The woman’s arching torso is a direct inspiration from Rodin’s torso of Adele, which can be found in the top left corner of the tympanum on the gates of hell; the Italian model for the female figure was Adele Abruzzesi, while the male model was Lou Tellegen.
- However, he was romantically involved with Camille Claudel when he created eternal springtime.
Crouching woman (1908)
- Located in the ground floor, room 7
- Indeed, as suggested by its moniker, the crouching women sculpture depicts a slouched, scantily clad female figure.
- The woman in the sculpture is shown with her right arm across her body, grasping her right ankle. She leans on her left knee, with her head resting on her right knee.
- A fusion of the works Crouching Woman and Falling Man can be seen in the composition I am Beautiful
Paintings from Rodin’s personal collection
Auguste Renoir
Nude in the sunlight (1880)
- When a naked lady appears, whether she has just emerged from the ocean or her bed, she is Venus or Nini, and one’s mind can’t conjure anything more excellent.
- The body’s colouration and texture do evoke the uncommon hues of sea shells.
John Singer Sargent
Portrait of Rodin (1884)
- In 1884, Rodin and Sargent had intended to swap portraits.
- The artist depicted a heroic, animalistic figure with the dreamer’s eyes. Rodin’s reddish beard and white cheeks contrast sharply with the black backdrop and clothing.
Vincent van Gogh, The harvesters (1888)
- This picture of the arid, hot countryside near Arles, France, perfectly captures the climate’s sensation.
- Captured the feel of a sunny summer day by using a combination of yellows and greens for the countryside, set off by the brilliant blue of the sky.
François Lemoyne
Diana returning from the hunt (1729)
- Also known as The Evening
- François Lemoyne wanted “Diana Returning from the Hunt” to be a romantic scene that celebrated plenty, nature’s daily renewal, and women’s sensual beauty.
- Even Dianna’s hairstyle, as shown in sarcophagi, shows how the ancient sites he was able to visit had an effect on him.
Alexandre Falguière, Seated Diana (1878)
- Represents the roman moon goddess Diana in all her regal splendour
- Looking forth over one shoulder with an illuminated crescent moon resting on her hair.
- A park sprinkled with some of Auguste Rodin’s most magnificent sculptures and paintings.
- The 7 1/2-acre garden is divided into four sections
- the rose garden
- the terrace
- the flowerbed
- the forested regions
- The garden features two themed walks: the rose garden walk and the flowerbed walk.
- The “garden of Orpheus” contains vegetation and rocks.
- At the “garden of springs,” where trails wind around springs.
- Numerous works by auguste Rodin, including “the thinker,” “the gates of hell,” and “the burghers of Calais,” are shown in these French-style gardens.
1840: Born on November 12 in Paris, France.
1865: Rodin creates “The Man with the Broken Nose,” his first break from the norm and a departure from classical themes. Critics hate it, but Rodin loves it.
Late 1800s: Rodin begins work on “The Gates of Hell,” inspired by the monumental bronze doors of Italian Renaissance churches, which will serve as a “sketch pad” for many of his later works.
1910: Rodin moves into the Hôtel Biron, a grand 18th-century mansion in Paris, where he will live and work until his death.
1911: The French government buys the Hôtel Biron and allows Rodin to stay on the condition that he leave his works to the state.
1908: Rodin donates his entire collection to the French state on the condition that they dedicate his former workshop and showroom, the Hôtel Biron, to displaying his works.
1917: Rodin dies on November 17. The Hôtel Biron is transformed into a museum containing an extraordinary collection of his greatest works.
2012-2015: The Hôtel Biron undergoes extensive renovations, the first since Rodin’s death, and is represented to the public as a museum dedicated to his work.
It’s definitely worth taking the time to explore the area around the Rodin Museum to get a taste of everything Paris has to offer. Located in the 7th arrondissement isn’t the only attraction in the area. Here are some nearby attractions and shopping places that you can also visit:
- Les Invalides (10 min walk): This complex of buildings is home to several museums, including the Musée de l’Armée, which features an extensive collection of military artefacts, and the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.
- The Musée d’Orsay (15 min walk): This museum is located on the banks of the Seine and is housed in an old train station. It’s known for its impressive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, including works by Monet, Manet, and Degas.
- The Tuileries Gardens (15 min walk): These beautiful gardens are located just across the street from the Louvre Museum and are a great place to take a stroll and enjoy the outdoors.
- Le Bon Marché (10-15 min walk): This is one of the oldest and most famous department stores in Paris, dating back to 1852. It offers a wide range of luxury goods, including fashion, home decor, and gourmet food.
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés (15-20 min walk): This historic neighbourhood is home to many designer boutiques and independent shops selling everything from fashion and accessories to art and antiques.
L’atelier Rodin
- Venue for discovering art and sculpture through exploration.
- Have fun, study, and dive into the heart of the master.
- Great for kids but open to everyone.
- Open from 11th Jun through 28th Aug.
Experience more in Paris
Frequently Asked Questions
about the Rodin Museum
The Rodin Museum is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. The address is 77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris.
The Rodin Museum is open every day except Monday. From Tuesday to Sunday it is open from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Last entry is at 5.45 p.m.
The general admission fee for the Rodin Museum is €13. Some reductions are available for students and seniors. Children under 18 years old can enter for free.
Yes, guided tours are available at the Rodin Museum but only for groups. There is however a 2 hour audio guide available in several languages.
Yes, in the garden you can take pictures as long as you don’t use a tripod. Furthermore, inside the Biron hotel it is not allowed to use flash. Photos are not allowed in the temporary exhibition. Visitors are also asked to respect the works of art and not touch or lean on them.