Camille Rosalie Claudel was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The subject of several biographies and films, Claudel is well known for her sculptures including The Waltz and The Mature Age.
Claudel sometime before 1883
Camille Claudel (left) and sculptor Jessie Lipscomb in their Paris studio in the mid-1880s
The Waltz, conceived in 1889 and cast in 1905
The Mature Age, 1913 bronze casting in the Claudel room at the Musée Rodin in Paris. (The figure standing behind, ensnared in her own hair, is Clotho, 1893)
The Waltz or The Waltzers is a sculpture by French artist Camille Claudel. It depicts two figures, a man and a woman, locked in an amorous embrace as they dance a waltz. The work was inspired by Claudel's burgeoning love affair with her mentor and employer Auguste Rodin. Various versions were made from 1889 to 1905, initially modelled in plaster, and later cast in bronze. Examples are held by the Musée Rodin and the Musée Camille Claudel.
The Waltz, a 1905 cast of the second version
Cast of the first version, at La Piscine Museum, Roubaix, in 2015
Cast of the second version, at the Musée Rodin, Paris, in 2011
