Camille Claudel was a French sculptor born in 1864. Despite her disapproving mother, Camille was able to pursue her artistic career with the support of her father. In a time where women sculptors were rarely seen, Camille carved out a unique place for herself in the history of art. Tragically, she was largely unknown until after her death and much of her work no longer exists.

Her story is a tumultuous one. She apprenticed under Auguste Rodin and began an affair with him. According to Wikipedia’s article on Camille Claudel, “She acted as his model, his confidante, and his lover.” But Rodin would not leave his wife. After having an abortion, Camille stopped the affair, but she had already been kicked out of her family’s house for being immoral. Later, her father passed away and she had little protection from her family, who were seemingly out to destroy her.

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Camille suffered mental breaks and paranoia. She ended up destroying much of her own work. This enabled her mother and brother to request she be committed to a psychiatric facility. She spent the rest of her life confined—thirty years—in an asylum. Her remains were thrown in the facility’s communal grave, lost among strangers forever.

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If you take a look at Rodin’s work, you see how these two artist lovers may have inspired and influenced each other. Debussy was also smitten with the sculptress, who no doubt, was unlike other women of the time. When looking at her portrait, you see a wild-haired, genius, brimming with passion, a young woman who railed against societal norms and paid dearly for it—a tragic story of love, madness, and extraordinary art.

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