Whenever Cooke travelled from Berlin to her parents’ home in London, she would stop in Paris to pose for Rodin. Their relationship remained hidden to all but their closest confidants until the letters were bought by the Musee Rodin in Paris, after the death of Cooke’s son Robin in 2010. One day, in 1909, they had lunch – Cooke describing in her diary how they dined at Duval “like students”. RelatedThey also met in London when, in 1913, Rodin was visiting for the installation of bronze figures The Burghers of Calais. Performing under the stage names “Viola”, “Julia” or “Juliette”, Cooke travelled to Berlin in 1907 before moving on to Paris, where she met the sculptor, already one of the most feted artists in Europe.

Source: National Post July 11, 2016 15:56 UTC