Auguste Rodin Gallery
About Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917) is considered to be the father of modern sculpture. During the early 20th century, Loie Fuller worked to broker the sale of Rodin sculptures to American collectors, including Alma de Bretteville Spreckels. Fuller herself acquired a number of small Rodin works and she eventually used them as collateral for a loan that she was unable to pay off. Sam Hill made good on the debt and the items came to Maryhill as part of his bequest.
The museum collection contains more than 80 works by Rodin, including bronzes, terra cottas, plaster studies, and watercolor sketches. The permanent exhibition displays such well-known sculptures as The Thinker, The Hand of God, The Age of Bronze, and the life-size plaster of Eve from his masterwork, The Gates of Hell. Two of the plasters, The Thinker and The Hand of God, are inscribed in pencil: “à Loie Rodin.”
Auguste Rodin, (French, 1840-1917) The Thinker, c.1880. Plaster, 15”.
Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art. Photo by Robert Reynolds.
Top row: 1. Auguste Rodin, (French, 1840-1917) Kneeling Woman in a Dress. Watercolor on paper. Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art.
2. Photograph of Auguste Rodin’s Studio
3. Auguste Rodin, the Thinker detail
Bottom row: 1. Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917), Eve, 1881. Plaster, 69” x 20” x 18”. Gift of Loȋe Fuller. Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art
2. Auguste Rodin, Minotaur, Plaster. Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art.
Learn more online
Download the Exploring Rodin: Engaging Activities for Classroom or Home.
Explore the Museum Store
The Hands of Rodin Booklet
This booklet contains the various studies of hands made by the famous French artist and sculpturer Auguste Rodin. The back of the booklet holds a chronology of Rodin’s life and accomplishments as well as the world and the arts in its comparison.