The thinker (in French Le Penseur) is one of Auguste Rodin's most famous sculptures.

The sculptor
conceived this piece between 1881 and 1882. This serves as an entrance for the Museum of
Decorative Arts of Paris, although the project was not completed.1

History

The Thinker in The Door of Hell exhibited in the Soumaya Museum.

The sculpture originally received the name "The poet", since it represented the Italian writer Dante
Alighieri, author of The Divine Comedy,
The Thinker belongs to the group of works done between 1880 and 1881

Some commentators mention that The Thinker occupies in the Door, a position similar to the
sacred figures of the gothic portals, therefore, it is a judge and at the same time a prisoner in the
hell. It is a projection of the sculptor, of the artist in general, who confronts the critics of his time
and whom he also judges.9

In 1904, Gabriel Mourey, editor of the magazine Les Arts de la Vie, showed the sculptural work of
the city of Paris and the fame of The Thinker spread, from a minority interested in aesthetic issues
to the international public. Gradually Rodin became a public symbol of great importance. Mourey
explained why The Thinker had been selected10:

The Thinker in the world

There are several foundries of The Thinker around the world; some have been extended from the
original and others, of different proportions. All these are known under the name of multiple
originals. It is possible to find some of them in the following places:

The Thinker in the Laeken Cemetery

Laeken Cemetery, Brussels
Cantor Art Center, Stanford University
Norton Simon Art Foundation, Pasadena, California