Visitor's Guide to the Rodin Museum in Paris

Opened in 1919 in the private Paris mansion where French sculptor Auguste Rodin assembled his works, the Rodin Museum is consecrated to the complex body of work of one of France's treasured artists. The permanent collection at the main Paris site includes several masterpieces-- including "The Thinker" and lesser-known works from Rodin himself, his brilliant student Camille Claudel, and others, while temporary exhibits explore lesser-known aspects of the artist's work. The Rodin Museum is also celebrated for its extensive sculpture garden-- a true pleasure to stroll, or think-- as it were-- in.

There is also a secondary site for the museum in Meudon, outside Paris, which houses plaster and wax studies of many of Rodin's most important works. I recommend that major admirers of Rodin visit the main site in Paris, then consider a trip to the Meudon branch to explore in further detail how Rodin developed his creative vision.

Rodin Museum Location and Contact Information

Address: 79, rue de Varenne, 7th arrondissement
Metro: Varenne, Invalides
Information on the Web: Visit the official website (in English)

Sights and Attractions Near the Rodin Museum:

• Eiffel Tower
• Musee d'Orsay
• Hotel des Invalides

Rodin Museum Opening Hours

Open every day except Monday:

• Museum, exhibition and museum store: 10:00 am to 5:45 pm (last tickets sold at 5:15 pm)
• Sculpture garden and cafes: Open until 6:00 pm

Closing Days and Times: Closed on Mondays and on January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.

Rodin Museum Tickets and Admission

For up-to-date details on tickets and admission discounts to the Musee Rodin, consult this page at the official website.

The Paris Museum Pass includes admission to the Rodin Museum (Buy Direct at Rail Europe).

Rodin Museum Temporary Exhibits

The Musee Rodin regularly hosts temporary exhibits exploring specific aspects of Rodin's work, his collaborations and mutual influences with other artists, and other topics. Visit this page for a list of current temporary exhibits at the museum.

Highlights from the Permanent Collection at the Rodin Museum

The permanent collection at the Musée Rodin includes over 6,000 sculptures (many of which are housed in Meudon, outside Paris, at the museum's secondary site) in bronze, marble, plaster, wax, and other materials. The plasters are housed in Meudon, while the finished sculptures in marble and bronze are found at the main Hotel Biron site in Paris.

The sculptures collection at the Hotel Biron site houses some of Rodin's most treasured works, including The Kiss, The Thinker, Fugit Amor, Thought, and a series of sculptures portraying celebrated French writer Honoré de Balzac. There are also fifteen important works from Camille Claudel, Rodin's gifted student and on-again, off-again lover.

The collection at the Hotel Biron in Paris also includes sketches, paintings and photographs used by Rodin in the early stages of his work, in addition to an archive.

The Sculpture Garden at the Rodin Museum:

Admission to the lush sculpture garden behind the main museum will cost you an additional (nominal) fee. Spread over three hectares, the sculpture garden features several monumental works in bronze from Rodin, in addition to a few marble busts and statues from the Roman antiquity. The garden also boasts a wide variety of plants and flowers, promenades lined with linden trees, a restaurant and a cafe.

Major Works From Rodin in the Garden:

• The Thinker (large-scale, bronze)
• The Burghers of Calais (studies, bronze)
• The Gates of Hell