Creator story
Surprising fact
Rodin's lifelike first major figure, The Age of Bronze, was so realistic that critics accused him of casting it from a living model.
Source: Wikipedia / WikimediaSculpture and Form
Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) was the father of modern sculpture, who broke from polished academic tradition to model the human body with raw emotion and movement. The Thinker and The Kiss are among the most recognised sculptures in the world.
Rodin restored expressive power to sculpture and opened the door to modernism in three dimensions.
- Modelled the human body with unprecedented emotion and texture.
- Created The Thinker and The Kiss, icons of modern sculpture.
- Spent decades on the unfinished Gates of Hell, source of many of his figures.
Key works
Three entry points into the world of Auguste Rodin
These works make it easiest to see how the artist changed form, content, and the very way art could exist in culture.
1888
The Burghers of Calais
The Burghers of Calais condenses the core ideas of sculpture and form into a memorable plastic form.
1880
The Kiss
The Kiss reads as one of the anchor works of sculpture and form, where Auguste Rodin's visual voice becomes unmistakable.
1882
The Thinker
The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin, is a bronze sculpture depicting a nude male figure of heroic size, seated on a large rock, leaning forward, his right elbow placed upon his left thigh, with the back of his right hand supporting his chin in a posture evocative of deep thought and contemplation.