In the Time of Camille Claudel: Being a Sculptress in Paris

Since its rediscovery in the 1980s, Camille Claudel has inspired major monographic exhibitions. Her fame is now such that it might mistakenly suggest she was the only female sculptor of her time. However, around 1900, many others followed the same path as her and, despite the obstacles related to their status as women, distinguished themselves in the field of sculpture.

In autumn 2025, these prominent sculptresses will emerge from the shadows! An exhibition co-produced by the Camille Claudel Museum, the Fine Arts Museum of Tours, and the Pont-Aven Museum brings together the creations of around twenty of them: Charlotte Besnard, Marie Cazin, Madeleine Jouvray, as well as Jessie Lipscomb, Agnès de Frumerie, Anna Bass, Jane Poupelet, and many others. French or foreign, often the daughters or wives of artists, they were the studio companions, friends, or sometimes rivals of Camille Claudel. Some preceded her, while others succeeded her.

What artistic training did women have access to at this turn of the 20th century? What strategies did sculptresses deploy to carve out a place for themselves in this male-dominated environment? What relationships did Camille Claudel maintain with her contemporaries? And what roles did these artists occupy within Auguste Rodin's studio? These are some of the questions illuminated by the exhibition.

Photo: Laure Coutan-Montorgueil in her studio, around 1910, photograph © private collection