Dérobades Rodin et Blazac en robe de chambre

DÉROBADES. RODIN ET BALZAC EN ROBE DE CHAMBRE

Centered around a singular object—l’Étude de robe de chambre pour Balzac created by Auguste Rodin in 1897 as part of the commission for a monument to Balzac—this book brings couture and sculpture into dialogue. It focuses on this unique object, which blends the myth of the writer draped in his dressing gown with the archaeological work undertaken by Rodin when he set out to find Balzac's tailor to have one of the writer's costumes recreated. The plaster ghost born from this research would eventually result in Balzac, which was immediately rejected by the commissioners of the monument.

This book offers a glimpse into the artist at work, revealing his doubts and discoveries. It revisits the role of l’Étude sur la robe de chambre in Rodin's creative process and provides a detailed analysis of how it helped the artist resolve a major challenge: while the sculptor initially sought to recreate Balzac's body as it truly was, he quickly faced resistance from the Société des Gens de Lettres, for whom a depiction of Balzac as fat, short, and stocky (albeit close to reality) was unacceptable. This book aims to provoke reflection on the values and norms conveyed by public statues and, in the era of statue removals, on the need to broaden the representation of bodies and identities in contemporary public spaces.