The Thinker (Le Penseur)
1904
Medium
Plaster
Dimensions
Overall (with base): 70 1/2 × 55 3/4 in. (179.1 × 141.6 cm)
Classification
Sculpture-Reproductions-Casts
Culture
French
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of André Saglio, Commissioner of Fine Arts of the French Government at the St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Accession Number
04.36
Tags
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...