The Evil Spirits
c. 1899
Medium
marble
Dimensions
overall: 71.2 x 75.7 x 59 cm (28 1/16 x 29 13/16 x 23 1/4 in.)
Classification
Sculpture
Department
CSD
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. John W. Simpson
Accession Number
1942.5.17
Art Historical Context
Auguste Rodin's *The Evil Spirits* (c. 1899) is a compelling marble sculpture that captures the artist's fascination with human torment and the supernatural. Carved from a single block of marble, this work measures 71.2 x 75.7 x 59 cm and exemplifies Rodin's mastery of the medium during his late career. Gifted to the National Gallery Art by Mrs. John. Simpson, it now in the museum's sculpture collection, inviting visitors to ponder its writhing forms. Rodin, a pioneer of modern sculpture, broke from academic traditions by emphasizing raw emotion, fragmented anatomy, and textured surfaces that...
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...