Visitors to the Musée Rodin in the rue de l’Université, Paris, require little persuasion that Rodin remains an exceedingly popular artist whose appeal to the very young—young lovers as much as anyone else—is considerable. He is one of the best known of all artists, and extensive collections of his sculpture exist in Philadelphia and San Francisco, as well as in Paris and Meudon. His work has been widely exhibited, not least in Japan, where four or five shows have been staged in recent years.

Evidence of Rodin’s hold upon the public is provided by the copious bibliography appended to Rodin-Studien (1983), which lists over two thousand items. It might seem as if most aspects of this protean artist’s activity would have been examined by now, and yet important questions await answers. His influence on his contemporaries and later sculptors remains to be assessed, for instance, as does the reaction against his art that occurred even before his death.

Despite the interest taken in Rodin, no substantial biography of him has been published in our time up to now.

Despite the interest taken in Rodin, no substantial biography of him has been published in our time up to now. The reason for this is relatively simple. Until only a few years ago access to the voluminous archives in the Musée Rodin was strictly limited. As this reviewer well knows, it was impossible to secure precise information about even such fundamental matters as Rodin’s collection of antiquities. (Rodin