The Musée Rodin after hours

Why it is on the list

The Musée Rodin holds most of Rodin's major works, The Thinker, The Kiss and The Gates of Hell among them, in the Hôtel Biron and its garden; the house and grounds have been a listed historical monument since 1926.¹ Rodin chose the house himself: he rented four rooms in 1908, took the whole building from 1911, and the museum opened there in 1919.² The 18 rooms run from the Cantor Hall and its staircase to The Walking Man, past The Age of Bronze in a panelled rotunda, The Kiss, and a room for Camille Claudel.² After closing the house and the sculpture garden are given to one party: an hour through the collection with one of the museum's own lecturers, drinks by The Thinker, then dinner in the hall of honour facing The Kiss.³⁴

It is sculpture, not painting: for Monet, the Water Lilies after hours at the Orangerie or the Monet gallery at the Marmottan are the better evening.

How to get it

Write to the museum's events team, Claire Avarre, at avarre@musee-rodin.fr or call +33 1 44 18 62 05.⁴ Ask for a private visit of the Hôtel Biron with a lecturer and dinner in the hall of honour. It runs every evening from 7.30 pm, and on Monday, when the museum is closed, at any hour on request.⁴⁵ The hall seats up to 50 for dinner and takes 120 for drinks, depending on the layout.³ The hire starts at €14,500 excluding VAT, before museum staff, lecturers, technical set-up, logistics and catering; the caterer is yours to choose.³⁴ The museum may require a logistics meeting with you and your caterer no later than a month before the date.⁵

Discretion

Guests come in through the gate at 77 rue de Varenne, or 75 bis; up to 20 cars can park inside the grounds when their plates and drivers' names are sent ahead.⁵ Cars may not wait in the rue de Varenne; set-down is on the boulevard des Invalides, about 50 m from the gate.⁵ The museum must be told in advance of prominent guests and of any protection officers; armed officers need their permits shown beforehand.⁵ Photographs are for private use only, and loaned or copyrighted works may not be photographed.⁵