Stéphanie Van Parys in the studio

This photograph was taken in the sculpture studio that is now the sanctuary of the Musée Bourdelle. While the large windows, resembling a giant screen and letting light in from the north are recognisable, the layout of the studio here is surprising. The stands are arranged around the periphery in order to free up space in the centre, where we know, thanks to an annotation on the back of the photograph, a concert had just been given by the violinist Joseph Debroux, who was Bourdelle's neighbour. We can also make out several portraits of Beethoven – including the plaster known as the Metropolitan – which Bourdelle had completed a few months earlier. The unusual setting of this photograph reveals the sculptor's passion for music. He liked to host private concerts in his studios, breaking down barriers between artistic practices.

Colin Lemoine