For this reason, I was eager to see the exhibition, as it brought together an extensive selection of her works, not just her sculptures, but drawings, engravings, and personal correspondence. But, what with travel, moving, and other responsibilities, I hadn’t managed to carve out a place on my schedule to go see it until yesterday afternoon. Even though there are only a few days remaining in the exhibition’s run (it ends on July 20th), I assumed that I would still be able to get in. Alas, I was sadly mistaken, being told upon my arrival that there were no more tickets to be had, not just for the day, but for the remaining days as well!

I was incredibly disappointed, but knew it was my own fault for leaving it to the last minute. I should have realized that there were many other people out there like me, with time running short, who would also try to get in under the wire. More than that, I hadn’t reckoned with the fact that Parisians attend art exhibitions in record numbers, something not true of many parts of North America, where enthusiasm for museum-going might be considered a troubling quirk.

If there’s any silver lining to my disappointment, it’s that the phenomenal turnout for the exhibition suggests that Claudel’s work is getting the attention and recognition it deserves, and is perhaps emerging from the shadow of her association with Rodin, or at least being seen for its own merits.

Retrospective Camille Claudel Musée Rodin 79, rue de Varenne 75007 Paris

It’s a sad day in Paris. A landmark dating to 1831, and one of our favorite places to immerse ourselves in decay and general weirdness, was severely damaged by fire yesterday morning. Deyrolle, the taxidermy shop and walk-in cabinet of curiosities, was the site of a major blaze yesterday morning that took 55 firefighters and 14 engines to extinguish.

I wrote about Deyrolle several years ago on Interesting Thing of the Day. It had recently been renovated, and although Morgen had a chance to see it in its new (if brief) configuration, I did not. According to the store’s official blog (original French/Google English translation), their massive collections of mounted butterflies and other insects were destroyed, along with many of their stuffed animals (though I don’t know specifically which ones). The owners insist that Deyrolle will rise from the ashes (stuffed Phoenix, anyone?), but it breaks my heart that visitors will never again be able to see the old shop as it once was.

One of the best things about living in Paris is that we have the time to explore the not-so-obvious aspects of the city. The Eiffel Tower is hard to miss, but there are many places that are hidden, or not easily seen unless you know where to look. In my latest post on Gridskipper I run down some of the best underground sights in Paris–that is, literally under the ground.

Update: Underground Sightseeing in Paris made the list of Best Maps of the Week on Gridskipper.