Portrait of Balzac
Auguste Rodin
Modeled 1893, cast 1926–33
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
127.6 × 73.7 × 59.7 cm (50 1/4 × 29 × 23 1/2 in.)
Classification
large scale
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
6727
About the Artist
Auguste Rodin · 1840–1917
François Auguste René Rodin (1840-1917) stands as the founder of modern sculpture, transforming the art form from academic tradition into expressive modernism. Born into a working-class Parisian family, Rodin faced early rejection, failing three times to gain admission to the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. This setback forced him to work as a craftsman for nearly two decades, though his 1875 tr...