Camille Claudel did not have a loving childhood or home life, but she and her younger brother were great friends most of their lives. Her father realized she had talent and encouraged her early sculpting. After moving to Paris, she became famous and eventually met Auguste Rodin, already famous in his own right, and they became lovers. After their break-up, she eventually quit sculpting and exhibiting because Rodin was allegedly stealing her works and getting all the praise and money for them. Soon she had lots of bills, no money, lived in squalor and was carted off to an asylum to spend the rest of her days in hell on earth.

Women were second-class citizens in the late 1800’s, and Camille worked hard to be accepted as a great sculptor on her own merits. She was proud that she used her creative mind to come up with original ideas for her sculptures--often using events in her life as subjects--and didn’t copy other’s works.