Rodin: A Biography

Documents Auguste Rodin's artistic and personal struggle and provides detailed accounts of his numerous complex relationships

Despite the rich subject matter of Rodin's life, there have been virtually no English-language biographical studies since the 1930s. Grunfeld's lively but uneven work updates information about Rodin's stormy romances, but is less thorough in studying the sculptor's relationships with influential political and literary figures, and seems to gloss over the effects of financial worries, relations with official salons, etc., on Rodin's artistic production. The book's racy who's who of fin-de-siecle French society make it a good addition for general collections; more reflective treatments will still be found in Robert Descharnes's August Rodin (Viking, 1967) and Albert Elsen's In Rodin's Studio (Cornell Univ. Pr., 1980). Paula A. Baxter, Museum of Modern Art Lib., New York
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