The story of late 19th-century French sculptor Camille Claudel told in a graphic novel: to be released on February 24, 2026 in bookstores Troppo libera. The Art, Love, and Struggle of Camille Claudel, by Assia Petricelli and Sergio Riccardi with afterword by Daniela Brogi, and published by Tunué.
“Camille Claudel is among those women (but also men) who, despite possessing talent and determination, despite wanting intensely and I would say overwhelmingly, were defeated,” the authors say. “Defeated by obstacles greater than themselves, by the inadequacy of their own time, by their own fragility. The stories of the defeated and the defeated have the same right to be told as those of the winners and the victors, just as weakness, failure, loss have equal right to existence as strength and success.”
In late 19th-century Paris, Camille Claudel, a talented sculptor at a time when very few women practiced this hard and dirty art, is a student and lover of the great Auguste Rodin. She will end her days in an asylum, imprisoned for life by family members. Her genius will only be fully recognized years later. A strong and dramatic story, capable of engaging and moving but also of making us reflect on the long exclusion of women (their exile) from all spheres of public life, including art. Camille Claudel’s is a tragic story, as it tells of the impossibility of a great and brilliant spirit to express herself fully. It was precisely her greatness that led her down a dead-end road: Camille did not just want to be a prominent sculptor, she wanted to be an artist on a par with other artists, including men, fully aware of her talent and proud of her own original vision of sculpture. She could have chosen compromise: in those same years women artists were beginning to unite in associations to make their voices heard and claim their rights, and they gained a space in the marketplace, provided, however, that they produced art that was considered “feminine” that is, decorative. To this Camille never wanted to bend: she measured herself with male subjects and formats, expressing, through vigorous modeling, not at all delicate, an intense sensuality. It was unacceptable. Thus her extraordinary energy, finding no outlet, imploded in obsession and illness.
 |
| A graphic novel tells the story of Camille Claudel, talented sculptor of the late 19th century |
Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.
