Camille Claudel's 1905 Twilight: Musée Camille-Claudel Exhibition

In 1905, Camille Claudel was at the height of her career, but the year also marked the beginning of her decline. The Musée Camille-Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine is staging an exhibition that juxtaposes her work with that of Bernhard Hoetger, a young German sculptor who was then rising to fame. The exhibition, curated by Pauline Fleury, explores the parallel trajectories of the two artists, who were brought together by their shared gallerist, Eugène Blot, in a December 1905 show at his gallery on the boulevard de la Madeleine in Paris. Critic Louis Vauxcelles praised Claudel as the greatest contemporary artist, equal to Berthe Morisot, and lauded Hoetger's 'power tragic' and 'tormented energy.' Hoetger, who had been inspired by Auguste Rodin at the 1900 Exposition Universelle, had quickly made a name for himself with Art Nouveau decorative statuettes, such as 'La Tempête,' which bore affinities with Claudel's 'La Valse.' Claudel, however, was already showing signs of paranoia, refusing a commission for a monument to Auguste Blanqui in Puget-Théniers, suspecting a plot by Rodin. She created her last original work, the 'Buste de Paul Claudel,' in 1905, and her final piece, 'Niobide blessée,' the following year. The exhibition also highlights Blot's unwavering support, as he continued to exhibit and promote her work even after her isolation and eventual internment in 1913. The show is on view at the Musée Camille-Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine, France.