This exhibition at the Alte Nationalgalerie is the first since 1905 to bring together the works of two artist personalities whose works and paths crossed time and again in Paris: Camille Claudel (1864–1943) and Bernhard Hoetger (1874–1949). Both artists were united by their aspirations to seek recognition while simultaneously turning away from the master of French sculpture, Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). In the pressure cooker that was Modernism, both the French sculptress and the German sculptor, who was ten years younger, developed an artistic vitality, garnering international appeal that continues to have an impact today.

Although women painters have long been the focus of research, international interest in examining women sculptors has recently intensified. The planned exhibition takes this previously unexplored constellation as its starting point, using the French sculptress and German sculptor as examples to investigate the broader German-French cultural transfer and exchange at the turn of the 19th to 20th centuries. Highlights by the artists will be on view, including Camille Claudel’s The Waltz / The Waltzers and Hoetger’s small Impressionist sculptures that brought him success on the art market.

Curator Dr Yvette Deseyve is curating the exhibition in cooperation with the Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum in Bremen and the Musée Camille Claudel in Nogent-sur-Seine, France.

Publication A comprehensive, illustrated catalogue, available in German and English editions, will accompany the exhibition.