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Who was Clara Westhoff?
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Rainer Maria Rilke
Austro-German poet and writer Rainer Maria Rilke, 1902.
Clara Westhoff was a talented sculptor from Bremen who studied under the renowned artist Auguste Rodin. She met the poet Rainer Maria Rilke while he was living at the artists' colony in Worpswede, and the two were married in April 1901.1
Following the birth of their daughter in December 1901, the couple chose to separate amicably to ensure they both had the freedom to pursue their individual artistic careers.1