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Despair

Founder Cast by Georges Rudier French
modeled ca. 1890, cast ca. 1967
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800
Despair is one of the sculptor’s various meditations on human despondency. Body coiled inward, the figure fruitlessly strains against the force of her foot pushing into her hands. Her pose recalls Rodin’s studies of dancers, but here bodily movement, confined by a foursquare block, is doomed to remain self-contained and endlessly repetitive. Despair derives from the upper left door of The Gates of Hell.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Despair
  • Artist: Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon)
  • Founder: Cast by Georges Rudier (French)
  • Date: modeled ca. 1890, cast ca. 1967
  • Culture: French
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: Overall (wt. confirmed): 12 1/2 × 12 × 9 in., 17.4 lb. (31.8 × 30.5 × 22.9 cm, 7.9 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
  • Credit Line: Gift of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, 1986
  • Object Number: 1986.155.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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