Camille Claudel and Bernhard Hoetger: Emancipation from Rodin

History is repeating itself at the Alte Nationalgalerie. In 1905, the gallerist Eugène Blot organised an exhibition of work by Camille Claudel and the German sculptor Bernhard Hoetger in Paris. It was a significant event for both artists, making clear their debt to Auguste Rodin while demonstrating how they were developing their own sculptural languages. Now the Alte Nationalgalerie is presenting all 12 of the Claudel bronzes and most of the works by Hoetger that appeared in that show. Though it is clear how Rodin’s gift for rendering movement and expression influenced their work, so are the distinctive qualities of both artists: in Claudel’s case, a subtlety and willingness to experiment with materials; in Hoetger’s, symbolist tendencies and an interest in organic forms (6 June–28 September).

Find out more from the Alte Nationalgalerie’s website.
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The Waltz (1899–1905; cast 1905), Camille Claudel. Lucile Audouy Collection, Paris. Photo: Thomas Hennocque

The Tempest (c. 1901), Bernhard Hoetger. Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum, Bremen. Photo: Freiraumfotografie

The Supplicant (1894–1905; cast 1905), Camille Claudel. Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin. Photo: Jan Brockhaus