Latest news with #Claudel
Ammon
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Ammon
Lost Claudel sculpture found in Paris flat fetches $3 million at auction
Ammon News - A bronze by French sculptor Camille Claudel, who for years sought recognition for her artistic talent independent of her lover and fellow artist Auguste Rodin, was auctioned off in France on Sunday for more than $3 million. Claudel, whose life and tortured love affair with Rodin have inspired several films, destroyed much of her work before her brother confined her to a psychiatric hospital in 1913. The artist sculpted "The Mature Age" after she broke off with Rodin, who was two decades older, seeking to create a name for herself in her own right after years as his assistant. The sculpture, which exists in several copies, depicts an elderly woman dragging an ageing man away, while a young woman on her knees implores him. Art historians have seen in "The Implorer" a representation of Claudel devastated as Rodin is torn away from her. Auctioneer Matthieu Semont told AFP he discovered the latest copy by chance in September, by lifting up a dust sheet in a flat near the Eiffel Tower that had been abandoned for around 15 years. He did not say to whom it belonged. Semont said that, from his research into Claudel's life, it seemed Rodin had "never stopped loving her and cried when he discovered 'The Implorer' at the foundry". Feminist icon The bronze he found was sold for 3.1 million euros ($3.2 million) at an auction house in the city of Orleans south of Paris, an AFP reporter there said. It had been estimated at 1.5 to 2 million euros. Two other versions of "The Mature Age" are on display at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the Camille Claudel Museum outside the capital. A trove of sculptures by Claudel broke records at auction in Paris in 2017, going for $4.1 million three times their estimate. The star of the auction, a bronze called "The Abandonment", went for nearly $1.4 million. With comparatively few of her works surviving, the first version of her sweeping bronze "The Waltz" sold for $8 million in 2013. Claudel became a feminist icon as her reputation revived, particularly after an eponymous French biopic with Isabelle Adjani playing her opposite Gerard Depardieu's Rodin, was nominated for two Oscars in 1989. Juliette Binoche played her in a 2013 film about her abandonment in the asylum. Despite pleas by doctors and friends that she was sane and did not need to be in hospital, Claudel remained confined to the asylum on her family's orders until her death aged 78 in 1943. Feminist critics have never forgiven Rodin for his treatment of Claudel, who contributed to some of his most acclaimed works and who many argue was his equal artistically. AFP
Express Tribune
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
French bronze sculpture auctions for $3 million
ORLéANS: A bronze by French sculptor Camille Claudel thought to evoke her separation from fellow artist and lover Auguste Rodin was auctioned off in France on Sunday for more than $3 million. Claudel, whose life and tortured love affair with Rodin has inspired several films, destroyed much of her work before her brother confined her to a psychiatric hospital in 1913. The artist sculpted The Mature Age after she broke off with Rodin, who was two decades older, seeking to create a name for herself in her own right after years as his assistant. The sculpture, which exists in several copies, depicts an elderly woman dragging an ageing man away, while a young woman on her knees implores him. Art historians have seen in The Implorer a representation of Claudel devastated as Rodin is torn away from her. Auctioneer Matthieu Semont told AFP he discovered the latest copy by chance in September, by lifting up a dust sheet in a flat near the Eiffel Tower that had been abandoned for around 15 years. He did not say to whom it belonged. Semont said that, from his research into Claudel's life, it seemed Rodin had "never stopped loving her and cried when he discovered The Implorer at the foundry". The bronze he found was sold for 3.1 million euros ($3.2 million) at an auction house in the city of Orléans south of Paris, an AFP reporter there said. It had been estimated at 1.5 to 2 million euros. Two other versions of The Mature Age are on display at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the Camille Claudel Museum outside the capital. A trove of sculptures by Claudel broke records at auction in Paris in 2017, going for $4.1 million – three times their estimate. The star of the auction, a bronze called The Abandonment, went for nearly $1.4 million. With comparatively few of her works surviving, the first version of her sweeping bronze The Waltz sold for $8 million in 2013. AFP
Telegraph
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Bronze sculpture by Rodin's lover found in abandoned Paris flat sells for €3.1 million
A bronze sculpture by a French artist discovered by chance in an abandoned Paris flat sold for €3.1 million at auction on Sunday. Forgotten for more than a century, the artwork by Camille Claudel was found during a routine estate inventory of a flat near the Eiffel Tower following the death of its owner. The apartment had been abandoned for 15 years, was 'plunged into darkness' and full of dust, Matthieu Semont, the auctioneer who made the discovery last September, said. But when he lifted a sheet and found the bronze sculpture, Mr Semont said he recognised it immediately as Claudel's 'L'ge Mûr' (The Mature Age) and was overcome with emotion. The sculpture, which exists in several copies, is thought to evoke the artist's separation with her mentor and lover Auguste Rodin, who was more than 20 years her senior. Mr Semont told Agence France-Presse: 'It's more of an encounter than a discovery, it's magical, it brought tears to my eyes. This bronze, which had been lost for over a century, is of astonishing quality.' Measuring 33in tall, the sculpture depicts a young woman on her knees, arms outstretched towards an ageing man who is being led away by a second older female figure. It dates between 1892 and 1898 and depicts Claudel's 'descent into hell' with Rodin 'who never stopped loving her and wept' when he discovered the sculpture, Mr Semont added. Claudel destroyed much of her work before her brother sent her to a psychiatric hospital in 1913 where she remained for 30 years until her death in 1943. Originally estimated to be worth between €1.5 million and €2 million (£1.2 million and £1.7 million), the sculpture sold for €3.1 million after a tense bidding war between six buyers. The sale, which was held at an auction house in the city of Orleans, started at a bid of €1 million in front of an audience of 350 people. After 20 minutes, the winning bid was announced to applause and a standing ovation for the auctioneer. 'It was a joyful sale, people came out of passion,' Mr Semont told Le Parisien. 'I had never bid at this level and my heart was pounding; I was very emotional.' The identity of the buyer was not revealed. Sunday's auction marked the second highest price for a work by Claudel, after the 2013 sale of 'La Valse' at a Sotheby's auction in London, where it fetched €5.2 million. The artist's life has been told several times on the big screen, including in a critically acclaimed 1988 biopic featuring Isabelle Adjani and a 2013 film in which Juliette Binoche depicted Claudel's abandonment in an asylum.
Local France
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Local France
Claudel bronze sculpture goes for €3m at France auction
Claudel, whose life and tortured love affair with Rodin has inspired several films, destroyed much of her work before her brother confined her to a psychiatric hospital in 1913. The artist sculpted The Mature Age after she broke off with Rodin, who was two decades older, seeking to create a name for herself in her own right after years as his assistant. The sculpture, which exists in several copies, depicts an elderly woman dragging an ageing man away, while a young woman on her knees implores him. Art historians have seen in The Implorer a representation of Claudel devastated as Rodin is torn away from her. Auctioneer Matthieu Semont told AFP he discovered the latest copy by chance in September, by lifting up a dust sheet in a flat near the Eiffel Tower that had been abandoned for around 15 years. He did not say to whom it belonged. Semont said that, from his research into Claudel's life, it seemed Rodin had "never stopped loving her and cried when he discovered The Implorer at the foundry". The bronze he found was sold for €3.1 million ($ 3.2 million) at an auction house in the city of Orléans south of Paris, an AFP reporter there said. It had been estimated at €1.5 to €2 million. Two other versions of The Mature Age are on display at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Camille Claudel Museum outside the capital. A trove of sculptures by Claudel broke records at auction in Paris in 2017, going for $4.1 million - three times their estimate. The star of the auction, a bronze called The Abandonment, went for nearly $1.4 million. With comparatively few of her works surviving, the first version of her sweeping bronze The Waltz sold for $8 million in 2013. Claudel became a feminist icon as her reputation revived, particularly after an eponymous French biopic with Isabelle Adjani playing her opposite Gerard Depardieu's Rodin, was nominated for two Oscars in 1989. Juliette Binoche played her in a 2013 film about her abandonment in the asylum. Despite pleas by doctors and friends that she was sane and did not need to be in hospital, Claudel remained confined to the asylum on her family's orders until her death aged 78 in 1943. Feminist critics have never forgiven Rodin for his treatment of Claudel, who contributed to some of his most acclaimed works and who many argue was his equal artistically.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Claudel bronze sculpture goes for $3 mn at France auction
A bronze by French sculptor Camille Claudel thought to evoke her separation with fellow artist and lover Auguste Rodin was auctioned off in France Sunday for more than $3 million. Claudel, whose life and tortured love affair with Rodin has inspired several films, destroyed much of her work before her brother confined her to a psychiatric hospital in 1913. The artist sculpted "The Mature Age" after she broke off with Rodin, who was two decades older, seeking to create a name for herself in her own right after years as his assistant. The sculpture, which exists in several copies, depicts an elderly woman dragging an ageing man away, while a young woman on her knees implores him. Art historians have seen in "The Implorer" a representation of Claudel devastated as Rodin is torn away from her. Auctioneer Matthieu Semont told AFP he discovered the latest copy by chance in September, by lifting up a dust sheet in a flat near the Eiffel Tower that had been abandoned for around 15 years. He did not say to whom it belonged. Semont said that, from his research into Claudel's life, it seemed Rodin had "never stopped loving her and cried when he discovered 'The Implorer' at the foundry". - Feminist icon - The bronze he found was sold for 3.1 million euros ($ 3.2 million) at an auction house in the city of Orleans south of Paris, an AFP reporter there said. It had been estimated at 1.5 to 2 million euros. Two other versions of "The Mature Age" are on display at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the Camille Claudel Museum outside the capital. A trove of sculptures by Claudel broke records at auction in Paris in 2017, going for $4.1 million -- three times their estimate. The star of the auction, a bronze called "The Abandonment", went for nearly $1.4 million. With comparatively few of her works surviving, the first version of her sweeping bronze "The Waltz" sold for $8 million in 2013. Claudel became a feminist icon as her reputation revived, particularly after an eponymous French biopic with Isabelle Adjani playing her opposite Gerard Depardieu's Rodin, was nominated for two Oscars in 1989. Juliette Binoche played her in a 2013 film about her abandonment in the asylum. Despite pleas by doctors and friends that she was sane and did not need to be in hospital, Claudel remained confined to the asylum on her family's orders until her death aged 78 in 1943. Feminist critics have never forgiven Rodin for his treatment of Claudel, who contributed to some of his most acclaimed works and who many argue was his equal artistically. tmn-ah/jj
