The Thinker

Auguste Rodin French
 Cast by Alexis Rudier French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800

The Thinker was made to sit over the lintel of Rodin’s monumental bronze doorway, The Gates of Hell, contemplating the fate of the damned. Independent bronzes of The Thinker became popular, especially among American patrons. Thomas Fortune Ryan, principal founder of the Rodin collection at The Met, commissioned this cast from the sculptor’s studio. In a real sense, The Thinker is Rodin. Brutishly muscled yet engrossed in thought, coiled in tension yet loose in repose, the sculpture, according to one early twentieth-century critic, embodies both "dream and action."

The Thinker, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

The Thinker, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French
The Thinker, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French
The Thinker, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Bronze, French

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.