Being a woman sculptor in Paris in the time of Camille Claudel

Never heard of Jessie Lipscomb, Madeleine Jouvray, or even Sigrid af Forselles? Do the names Marie Cazin, Jeanne Itasse, and Blanche Moria mean nothing to you? This is hardly surprising, and it justifies a visit to this modern sculpture exhibition. As is its custom, the former Musée Dubois-Boucher plays it safe by using the (mythical) name of Camille Claudel to introduce a wider audience to a largely forgotten chapter of art history, the artists presented being generally known only to specialists. Such an exhibition – like the book that accompanies it – thus stands as one of the highlights of the year, especially as it will travel to Tours and then to Pont-Aven, but not to Paris!

Anne Rivière, a Claudel specialist and author of the Dictionaire des sculptrices, published by Mare & Martin in 2017, had already curated an exhibition on women sculptors “from the 18th century to the present day” at the Musée des Années Trente in the summer of 2011. However, the focus of this new exhibition is more effective while remaining accessible. [1]

The exhibition’s clear layout is divided into four sections, the first three of which are very dense, showcasing many works (of varied materials and formats) from French and European museums, particularly Scandinavian ones, while also highlighting the rare depictions of women sculptors at work in their studios (ill. 1). Towering over her creations, such as the portrait of Édouard Dantan bequeathed to the Musée des Avelines in Saint-Cloud in 2009 (see the news item of 29/1/10), the striking effigy of Carolina Benedicks-Bruce could have served as the exhibition poster, as Linda Hinners notes, defying all the prejudices of the time about what constituted an appropriate occupation for a woman. The exhibition is certainly militant, but we much prefer – by far – this exemplary work of art history to other, far more questionable attempts recently inflicted on the Parisian public (see these two articles), and we therefore welcome this happy initiative led by three fine provincial museums.

Far from a lecture-style approach or preconceived notions seeking victims of historiography, the exhibition has the merit of recalling singular trajectories that often go against overinterpretations: visitors are greeted by a sensual marble by Marguerite Syamour (ill. 2), placed on long-term loan in Cambrai by the State after dazzling critics at the 1899 Salon, where this specialist in public statuary received a medal. Nearby, Sapho, The Source by Laure Coutan-Montorgueil reminds us that she enjoyed significant…