Camille Claudel

Camille Claudel (December 8, 1864 – October 19, 1943) was a French sculptor and graphic artist. She was the older sister of the French poet and diplomat, Paul Claudel.

Early years

She was born in Fère-en-Tardenois, Aisne, in northern France, the second child of a family of farmers and gentry. Her father, Louis Prosper, dealt in mortgages and bank transactions. Her mother, the former Louise Athanaïse Cécile Cerveaux, came from a Champagne family of Catholic farmers and priests. The family moved to Villeneuve-sur-Fère while Camille was still a baby. Her younger brother Paul Claudel was born there in 1866. Subsequently they moved to Bar-le-Duc (1870), Nogent-sur-Seine (1876), and Wassy-sur-Blaise (1879), although they continued to spend summers in Villeneuve-sur-Fère, and the stark landscape of that region made a deep impression on the children. Camille moved with her mother, brother and younger sister to the Montparnasse area of Paris in 1881, her father having to remain behind, working to support them.

Related Topics:
Fère-en-Tardenois - Aisne - Champagne - Villeneuve-sur-Fère - Paul Claudel - 1866 - Bar-le-Duc - 1870 - Nogent-sur-Seine - 1876 - Wassy-sur-Blaise - 1879 - Montparnasse - Paris - 1881

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~