List of The Thinker sculptures

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2011)

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The Thinker in front of the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia

This is a list of The Thinker sculptures made by Auguste Rodin. The Thinker, originally a part of Rodin's The Gates of Hell, exists in several versions. The original size and the later monumental size versions were both created by Rodin, and the most valuable versions are those created under his supervision. There was also a limited edition of 25 copies made from the original plaster mold by the Musée Rodin after Rodin's death.

The Thinker exists as bronze casts, exhibition plaster casts (some were painted to look like bronze patina), and original production plasters, which some consider art objects today.

## Copies of The Thinker made during Rodin's lifetime

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Location  | Image | Size | Material | Date | Notes | References

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National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne |  | Original | Bronze | 1884 | Earliest bronze casting, has Florentine cap | [1]
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva  |  | Original | Bronze | 1896 |  | [2]
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.  |  | Original | Bronze | 1901 |  | [3]
Panthéon, Latin Quarter, Paris (destroyed)  |  | Monumental | Plaster, bronze-tinted | 1904 | Earliest monumental. The statue was vandalized and later scrapped. | [4]
The Burrell Collection |  | Original | Bronze | 1902 | Bought by Mr. Burrell in 1922. Many fingerprints and marks were left by the sculptor. | [5][6]
University of Louisville |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1903 | First casting by A. A. Hébrard, lost wax technique, displayed at Louisiana Purchase Exposition | [4][7]
Commissioned by Max Linde in 1903. Today Detroit Institute of Arts |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1903 | First casting by Alexis Rudier, sand casting, four days younger than Louisville copy,
publicly displayed at Leipzig and Berlin | [8][9]
Metropolitan Museum, New York |  | Monumental | Plaster, bronze-tinted | 1904 | Sent to the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition in St. Louis to replace the bronze version | [4]
Musée Rodin, Paris |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1904 | Installed outside Paris Panthéon in 1906, moved to Musée Rodin garden in 1922 | [10]
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1904 | the "third Hébrard copy" | [11][4]
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden |  | Monumental | Plaster | 1904 | acquired by museum in October 1904 | [4]
National Museum, Poznań |  | Monumental | Plaster | 1904 | acquired in January 1905 | [4][12]
Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art |  | Monumental | Plaster | 1904 | purchased from the artist in 1907 | [13]
Legion of Honor, San Francisco  |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1904 | Alexis Rudier cast, purchased in 1915, donated to San Francisco in 1922 | [14]
Private collection, Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts |  | Original | Bronze | 1906 | made for Ralph Pulitzer, sold for $15.3 million in 2013 | [citation needed]
Laeken Cemetery, Brussels |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1906 | Alexis Rudier cast, installed on the grave of Jef Dillen in 1927 | [4][15][16]
Ca' Pesaro, Venice  |  | Monumental | Plaster, bronze-tinted | 1907 | purchased at the 1907 Biennale | [17]
Congressional Plaza, Buenos Aires  |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1907 | Purchased by the museum director to Auguste Rodin, one of the three sculptures cast in the original mold and signed by him | [18][19][20]
Waldemarsudde, Sweden  |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1908 | Alexis Rudier cast, for Prince Eugen of Norway and Sweden | [21]
Private collection  |  | Original | Bronze | 1916 | sold for $11.8 million in 2010 | [22][23]
Rodin's tomb, Meudon |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1916 | Alexis Rudier cast, placed at the grave when his wife died | [4]
Cleveland Museum of Art |  | Monumental | Bronze | 1916 | Alexis Rudier cast, purchased 1916, damaged in 1970 and remains unrepaired. According to police, the perpetrators were a faction of the Weathermen, possibly the same individuals killed in a bomb-making accident in New York City,[11] although police never charged anyone in the bombing. | [11][24][25]
Musée Rodin at Meudon  |  | Monumental | Plaster, bronze-tinted | 1916 | the museum has several plaster casts in different sizes and of different ages | [26]

## Later casts

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### Europe

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* France
* Saint-Paul de Vence
* Germany
* Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin
* Sächsisches Landesgymnasium Sankt Afra zu Meißen, Meissen
* Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Bielefeld
* Netherlands
* Apollolaan, in front of the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel[27]
* Singer Laren, Laren (badly damaged by thieves in 2007; restored and re-exhibited in 2010)
* Norway
* National Gallery of Norway, Oslo
* Russia
* Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
* Serbia
* University of Arts, Belgrade
* Switzerland
* Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich
* Turkey
* Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital, Istanbul
* United Kingdom
* Burrell Collection (Pollok House), Glasgow, Scotland
* Vatican City
* Vatican Museums, Collection of Modern Religious Art

### North America

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The Thinker in front of Philosophy Hall at Columbia University

* Canada
* Montreal Museum of Fine Art, Montreal[28]
* Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto[29]
* MacLaren Art Centre, Barrie[30][31]
* Mexico
* Museo Soumaya, Mexico City
* United States
* Cantor Fitzgerald offices in World Trade Center, New York City (survived the September 11 attacks; missing afterwards)[32]
* Columbia University, New York City
* Maryhill Museum of Art, Goldendale[33]
* Bal Harbour Shops, Miami[34]
* Martin Lawrence Gallery, Las Vegas[35]
* University of Louisville, Louisville
* Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore
* Rodin Museum, Philadelphia
* Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City
* Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena[36]
* North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh[37]
* Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University, Stanford[38]
* Bodies: The Exhibition, originally Tampa (travelling; a recreation made from a plastinated human corpse posed like the original sculpture)[39]
* Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan

### South America

[edit]

* Argentina
* Museum of Modern Art, Buenos Aires
* Brazil
* Ricardo Brennand Institute, Recife[40][41]
* Lily Marinho collection, Rio de Janeiro[42]
* Chile
* Borde Costero, Viña del Mar

### Asia

[edit]

The Thinker in NTHU, Taiwan

* China
* China Central Academy of Fine Arts library, Beijing
* Guangzhou Opera House, Guangzhou
* Shanghai Library, Shanghai
* Changchun World Sculpture Park, Changchun
* India
* Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati
* Thinkers Park at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry
* Nalsar University of Law, Shamirpet
* Indonesia
* Kolese Kanisius, Jakarta
* Israel
* RAD Data Communications, Tel Aviv
* Japan
* The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo[43]
* Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto[44][45]
* Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Shizuoka[46]
* Singapore
* OUE Bayfront, Marina Bay
* Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa Island
* South Korea
* Beartree Park, Sejong City
* Taiwan
* Chimei Museum, Tainan
* Asia University, Taichung[47]
* National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu[48]
* Vietnam
* FPT University, Danang campus
* FPT University, Cantho campus
* FPT University, Quynhon campus

## See also

[edit]

* List of sculptures by Auguste Rodin

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Blanchetière, François; Thurrowgood, David (2013). "Two insights into Auguste Rodin's The Thinker". Art Journal. 52. National Gallery of Victoria. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
2. ^ "Le Penseur, élément de la Porte de l'Enfer". Musées d'art et d'histoire, Genève. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
3. ^ "The Thinker (Le Penseur)". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Rodin's Enlarged Thinker". RODIN-WEB. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
5. ^ "The Thinker, by Rodin". The Burrell Collection. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
6. ^ Gasson, Barry (2010). The Burrell Collection. Glasgow: HarperCollins Publisher in association with Glasgow Museums. p. 158\. ISBN 978-0-902752-55-9.
7. ^ Zaccone, Janene (9 April 2012). "Fact Sheet: The Thinker at the University of Louisville". University of Louisville. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
8. ^ "The Thinker". Detroit Institute of Arts. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
9. ^ Rodin, Auguste; Kuhlemann, Michael; Forum, Bucerius Kunst (2006). Vor 100 Jahren: Rodin in Deutschland : eine Ausstellung des Bucerius Kunst Forums und der Skulpturensammlung, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Musee Rodin, Paris (in German). Hirmer. pp. 72–73\. ISBN 978-3-7774-3025-6.72-73&rft.pub=Hirmer&rft.date=2006&rft.isbn=978-3-7774-3025-6&rft.aulast=Rodin&rft.aufirst=Auguste&rft.au=Kuhlemann,+Michael&rft.au=Forum,+Bucerius+Kunst&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=wVjqAAAAMAAJ&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:List+of+The+Thinker+sculptures" class="Z3988">
10. ^ "The Thinker". Musée Rodin. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
11. ^ a b c Christman, Bruce (1998). "Twenty-Five Years After the Bomb: Maintaining Cleveland's The Thinker". Journal of the American Institute for Conservation. 37 (2): 173–186\. doi:10.1179/019713698806082877. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009.173-186&rft.date=1998&rft_id=info:doi/10.1179/019713698806082877&rft.aulast=Christman&rft.aufirst=Bruce&rft_id=http://206.180.235.133/jaic/articles/jaic37-02-002.html&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:List+of+The+Thinker+sculptures" class="Z3988">
12. ^ de Roos, Hans (23 December 2004). "The Digital Sculpture Project: Applying 3D Scanning Techniques for the Morphological Comparison of Sculptures". Computer and Information Science. 9 (2). CiteSeerX 10.1.1.124.6463. ISSN 1401-9841.
13. ^ "Le Penseur". navigart.fr. 3 December 2002. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
14. ^ "The Thinker". Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. 4 May 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
15. ^ "Le penseur du père Lachaise Bruxellois". Le soir. 31 October 1992. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
16. ^ "Les secrets de Laeken : à la découverte du " Père Lachaise " belge". L'avenir. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2017. One of the 22 copies of The Thinker made during Rodin's lifetime
17. ^ Rodin Auguste, Catalogue of Ca' Pesaro Archived 25 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine
18. ^ "Plaza del Congreso". Sitio oficial de turismo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. 14 February 2013.
19. ^ "Un pensador francés sentado en la plaza del Congreso « Guía Vulevú". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
20. ^ "www.barriada.com.ar - Mabel Crego - Estatua El Pensador de Rodin". www.barriada.com.ar. 27 April 2008.
21. ^ Auguste Rodin, Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde
22. ^ Michaud, Christopher (6 May 2010). "Sotheby's marks a solid night at Impressionist sale". Reuters. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
23. ^ Labo (2 October 2012). "The valuing of exceptional paintings and works of art". Gilles Perrault. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
24. ^ "The Thinker Vandalized" Archived 18 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Cleveland Museum of Art
25. ^ "A God Among Men". The Cleveland Free Times. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
26. ^ The Thinker, Joconde Portail des collections des musées de France
27. ^ "Le Penseur". Kunst in de openbare ruimte. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
28. ^ "Auguste Rodin". Musée des Beaux-Arts Montréal. Archived from the original on 22 November 2013.
29. ^ Auguste Rodin, The Thinker
30. ^ "The enlarged Thinker: New posthumous bronze casts", penseur.org. Accessed 20 March 2013.
31. ^ "MacLaren Art Centre – Media Releases – The Thinker Reviewed". Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
32. ^ Barry, Dan; Rashbaum, William K. (20 May 2002). "Born of Hell, Lost After Inferno". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
33. ^ City of Goldendale – Arts & Culture Archived 23 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
34. ^ Auguste Rodin — The Thinker
35. ^ "PR: Martin Lawrence Galleries Delivers World-renowned Masterpieces to the Las Vegas Strip". OpenVegas. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
36. ^ "The Thinker » Norton Simon Museum". www.nortonsimon.org.
37. ^ "Search View". ncartmuseum.org. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
38. ^ Wander, Robin (24 January 2012). "The Thinker, one of the most famous works of art in the world, comes home to Stanford's Cantor Arts Center". Stanford Report. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
39. ^ Burell, Ebonee (2 June 2022). "Bodies Human: National exhibit puts bones, organs on display in Panama City Beach". The News Herald. Panama City, Florida. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
40. ^ "Photo of the Authorized replica in the Ricardo Brennand Institute".
41. ^ "Instituto Ricardo Brennand abre no feriado de Páscoa" [Ricardo Brennand Institute opens on Easter holiday] (in Portuguese). Sim!. Archived from the original on 6 May 2007.
42. ^ "Galeria de Fotos: Belém ganha exposição internacional de Camille Claudel" [Photo gallery: Bethlehem wins international exhibition of Camille Claudel] (in Portuguese). Portal ORM. 21 June 2006. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
43. ^ "The Thinker (Enlarged)", National Museum of Western Art. Accessed 20 March 2013.
44. ^ "Water Fountain Garden: The Thinker (Le Penseur)". Kyoto National Museum. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
45. ^ "Museum Dictionary: Rodin's Thinker". Kyoto National Museum. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
46. ^ "List of works at Rodin wing", Shizuoka Prefectural Art Museum. Accessed 20 March 2013.
47. ^ "Who we are". Asia University Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 18 April 2024. "The AsiaUniversity purchased Rodin'sThe Thinker as the highlight object of the Museum collection."
48. ^ "National Tsing Hua University-Cover Story". www.nthu.edu.tw. 4 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2024. "Donation of Rodin's The Thinker:A Generous Birthday Give [sic] to NTHU"

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Le Penseur.

* The Thinker project, Munich. Discussion of the history of the many casts of this artwork.
* Rodin: The B. Gerald Cantor Collection, a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on The Thinker

* v
* t
* e

Auguste Rodin

Works|

* List of sculptures
* Man with the Broken Nose (1863)
* Alsatian Orphan (1871)
* Suzon (1872–73)
* The Age of Bronze (1876)
* La Defense (1879)
* The Maiden Kissed by the Ghost (1880)
* The Shade (1880)
* The Gates of Hell (1880/1917)
* The Thinker (1880, locations)
* Adam (1880–81)
* Eve (1881)
* Crouching Woman (1880–1882)
* Saint John the Baptist (1880/1907)
* Ugolino and His Sons (1881)
* The Kiss (1882)
* I Am Beautiful (1882)
* The Falling Man (1882)
* Jules Dalou (1883)
* Bust of Maurice Haquette (1883)
* Bust of Victor Hugo (1883)
* Eternal Springtime (1884)
* Torso of Adele (c. 1884)
* The Burghers of Calais (1884–1889)
* Head of Camille Claudel (1884/1911)
* The Prodigal Son (1885)
* Mask of a Weeping Woman (1885)
* The Martyr (1885)
* Psyche Looking at Love (1885)
* Eustache de Saint Pierre (1885–86)
* Jean d'Aire (1885–86)
* Jean de Fiennes (1885–86)
* Avarice and Lust (1885–1887)
* Damned Women (1885–1890)
* The Old Tree (1885)
* Paolo and Francesca (1885)
* Young Mother (1885)
* Young Mother in the Grotto (1885)
* Young Woman with a Serpent (c. 1885)
* The Three Shades (1886)
* Meditation (1886)
* Fugitive Love (1886–87)
* Ovid's Metamorphoses (1886–1889)
* Pierre de Wiessant (1887)
* Head of Saint John the Baptist (1887)
* The Sirens (1887)
* Polyphemus (1888)
* Standing Mercury (1888)
* The Kneeling Man (1888)
* Adonis Awakens (1889)
* Andromeda (1889)
* Glaucus (1889)
* Kneeling Female Faun (1889)
* The Succubus (1889)
* Despair (c. 1890)
* Brother and Sister (1890)
* Danaid (1890)
* Cybele (1890/1904)
* Monument to Balzac (1892–1897)
* Balzac in the Robe of a Dominican Monk (1892)
* Youth Triumphant (c. 1894)
* Octave Mirdeau (1895)
* Iris, Messenger of the Gods (c. 1895)
* Bacchantes Embracing (c. 1896)
* The Spirit of Eternal Repose (1898–99)
* Illusions Received by the Earth (pre-1900)
* The Athlete (1901–1904)
* The Death of Adonis (1903–1906)
* Adam and Eve (1905)
* The Walking Man (1907)
* The Cathedral (1908)
* The Prayer (1909)
* Standing Female Faun (1910)

Museums|

* Musée Rodin (Hôtel Biron), Paris
* Rodin Museum, Philadelphia
* Museu Rodin Bahia, Salvador
* Plateau (closed)

People|

* Camille Claudel

Depictions|

* 1888–89 Claudel bust
* 1909 Bourdelle bust
* Rodin — The Thinker (1902 photograph)
* Camille Claudel (1988 film)
* Camille Claudel (2003 musical)
* Camille Claudel 1915 (2013 film)
* Rodin (2017 film)

Related|

* Rodin (crater)

* Category
* Commons

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