Skip to Main Content

The Thinker

1880–81
(French, 1840–1917)
France, 19th century
bronze
Overall: 182.9 x 98.4 x 142.2 cm (72 x 38 3/4 x 56 in.)
Weight: 1,650 pounds - weighed by crane on 5/31/2006
Gift of Ralph King 1917.42
Location: SE South Entrance
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

This enlarged version of The Thinker is one of less than 10 cast during Rodin's lifetime.

Description

The Thinker was first developed as part of Rodin's The Gates of Hell, a sculptured doorway for a proposed museum of decorative arts in Paris. Intended to be part of a relief directly above the doors, the rugged figure was originally conceived as a generalized image of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), who wrote the Divine Comedy.
The Thinker

The Thinker

1880–81

Auguste Rodin

(French, 1840–1917)
France, 19th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    CMA Store

    Statue - Thinker - Rodin
    This colorful reproduction of Auguste Rodin’s Thinker will have friends and family pondering just what’s on his mind. A beautiful addition to an avid reader’s bookcase. The Thinker Auguste Rodin c. 1904 Dimensions 11 cm x 14 cm x 20 cm 4.3" x 5.5" x 7.9" Made of resin
    Statue - Thinker - Rodin
    The Thinker • Enamel Pin
    1.4" x 1" 3D Relief Pin Single Posted Rubber Clasp
    The Thinker • Enamel Pin
    Thinker Socks
    Artist: Auguste Rodin Created: modeled 1880 – 81 Dimensions (cm): Enlarged 1902 -4, cast 1919 Format: Bronze Location: Rodin Museum A collaboration with the Rodin Museum of the Philadelphia Museum of Art that is sure to get you thinking... 80% Combed Cotton, 17% Polyamide, 3% Elastane. Made in Portugal using the most advanced craftsmanship to produce the finest seamless socks. Wash inside out (40ºC/100ºF max). Do not tumble dry, iron.
    Thinker Socks
    The Experience of Modern Sculpture
    Engagingly written and colorfully illustrated, The Experience of Modern Sculpture leads us to understand, and take pleasure in, the sculpture of the 20th and 21st centuries. It helps us see the different facets of modernism: the evolution of the figure, abstraction, land art, the new materials used in sculpture, and more. It shows us how modern sculpture has fascinating links to ancient art, to science, and to the world around us. Using more than 100 examples by artists ranging from Picasso and Giacometti to Oldenburg, Hesse, and Serra, the guide focuses on how these pieces of art communicate. This new approach brings fresh insights to an important area of art, and it deepens the pleasure we can get from the last hundred years of sculptural creativity. 176 pp.
    The Experience of Modern Sculpture

    Contact us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.