Rodin's lover, sculptor Camille Claudel, gets museum in France

Embracing couples was a major theme in the work of sculptor Auguste Rodin. The motif is explored here in a work by Claudel that adopts a similar style but has clear artistic nuances. Claudel was Rodin's lover, muse and assistant for 10 years.

Claudel's "The Gossips" marked a divergence from her mentor and lover. Scholars suggest that she might have been inspired by a scene a on train. However, when the museum director was asked if it could be the voices of paranoia in the artist's head, she agreed that perhaps it was the start of Claudel's mental illness.

A plaster for a Joan of Arc statue by Paul Dubois is also on display at the museum. Commissioned for the square in front of Reims Cathedral, the statue of the iconic French heroine riding a horse into battle made Dubois especially famous during his lifetime.

Entering the museum, visitors are first greeted by a damaged sculpture by Claudel. The collection then explores other works by important local sculptors before the grand finale, which is dedicated to Claudel's work.

The 19th-century was known as the golden age of French sculpture. The museum explores the evolution of the art through a series of themes including technique, movement in sculpture, adornment and experimentation, as well as takes a look at work from Rodin's studio.

The works of 44 sculptors give a picture of the artistic environment in which Claudel developed, worked and expressed her own personality. The key phases in the careers of the sculptors of her generation are presented, as well as the diversity of the stylistic movements she encountered. This exhibition room is dedicated to sculptures paying tribute to labor and the strength of the human body.

Four generations of important sculptors are linked to Nogent-sur-Seine, home to the new museum. Artist Marius Ramus moved to the town in 1845 and the plaster for his "First Thought of Love" is shown in the museum. Paul Dubois and Claudel's first mentor, Alfred Boucher, also features prominently in the collection.

Claudel was just a young girl when she made her first sculptures. Her father showed sculptor Alfred Boucher some of her work, and he quickly recognized her talent. Boucher was Claudel's first teacher and subsequently introduced her to Rodin, for whom she was student, muse, confidante and lover during a tumultuous 10-year affair.

Claudel's family home has been transformed and extended into a national museum dedicated to the artist. The structure is a three-story, 1,283-square-meter exhibition space designed by architect Adelfo Scaranello, and constructed of handmade bricks that blend well with the local architecture.