The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of July 1, 2022

Study of Honoré de Balzac

1891-1892

Auguste Rodin

(French, 1840-1917)

France, 19th century

Bronze

Overall: 52.7 x 39.4 x 32.4 cm (20 3/4 x 15 1/2 x 12 3/4 in.)

Bequest of Edgar A. Hahn 1972.277

Location

not on view

Description

In 1891 Rodin was commissioned to create a monument honoring the celebrated French writer Honoré de Balzac. The figure evolved through multiple stages over a seven-year period as Rodin explored different methods of conveying the author’s genius and personality. This bust is a study for the first version, in which the full figure stands upright with legs apart, arms crossed over his corpulent belly. Rodin’s unglamorous portrayal of a national hero shocked the public accustomed to idealized figures in public monuments. The final design was even more intensely criticized because Rodin reduced the body to a powerful, abstract mass intended to convey the symbolic essence of the writer’s creative vitality.

Inscriptions

Inscription

Signed on side, under left arm: "A. Rodin"

Provenance
Estate of Edgar A. Hahn
Citations
Tacha, Athena. A Supplement to Rodin Sculpture in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1974. Mentioned: p. 136S, cat. no. XXIV; Reproduced: p. [113S], Plate 121S
Exhibition history

Year in Review: 1972. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 27-March 18, 1973).

Sculpture in Public Places. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 14-November 17, 1985).

Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Beijing World Art Museum, China (May 26-August 27, 2006); Mori Art Center (September 16-November 26, 2006); Seoul Art Center, South Korea (December 22, 2006-March 28, 2007); Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, South Korea (April 7-May 20, 2007); Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (June 9-September 16, 2007); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 15-June 1, 2008); Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, UT (June 22-September 21, 2008); The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI (October 12, 2008-January 18, 2009).

Rodin-100 Years. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2017-May 13, 2018).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.277