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Right in the middle of the French capital, the Hotel Biron
and its garden were used by Auguste Rodin in the years leading
up to his death in 1917 and boasts versions of his "The Thinker"
and "The Kiss" - two of the world's best-known sculptures.
The mansion attracts 700,000 visitors a year and has needed 16
million euros ($17 million) worth of renovation, including
urgent repairs to the floor and overhauling its interior design.
The museum now boasts a new layout, and previously unseen works
as well as paintings from Rodin's personal collection, including
paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Edvard Munch.
"(Visitors) will see an improved visibility of the works thanks
to the (display) furniture which allows more works to be shown,"
museum director Catherine Chevillot said.
The new layout and different lighting on some displays allows
visitors to get very close to the sculptures, she said.
The project was partly paid by casting new bronzes from original
moulds, Chevillot said.
"The (French) state made a decisive contribution, nearly half of
the budget. The rest came from our own private means, the sale
of bronzes by Rodin," she said.
"We are rather unique among French museums, we own the rights of
the artist to continue to make original bronzes."
The museum reopens on Nov. 12, which would have been Rodin's
175th birthday.
(Reporting by Reuters Television in Paris; Editing by Louise
Ireland)
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