Roden, her Eternal Idol

Boris Eifman’s ballet Rodin, Her Eternal Idol tells us about the life and work of two great sculptors: Auguste Rodin and his disciple, lover and Muse – Camille Claudel.

The story of their love is truly a tragic one. For over 15 years Rodin and Claudel were one integral whole, both sensuously and creatively. The eventual breakup of the couple was a fatal blow to the mental health of Camille leading to her tragic end. Half-forgotten, isolated and impoverished, Camille becomes insane. Her mind, damaged by mental disorder, is constantly filled with tormenting paranoid belief in a conspiracy against her being lead and inspired by Rodin himself.

She spends 30 long years in a mental clinic where she dies in 1943, abandoned and completely forgotten.

Rodin, Her Eternal Idol is a comprehensive creative study of the tragic path of a genius. By resorting to the distinctive plastique of modern psychological ballet Boris Eifman not only offers a new interpretation of the world of human passions, so masterfully portrayed by Rodin and Claudel, but also through his work explores the incomprehensible mystery of the creative process.