Monument to Honore de Balzac

Mediums: bronze.
Location: the Rodin Museum, Paris. France.

The sculpture of the famous writer, commissioned by the Paris Society of Writers, was the last major work of the master. Not having a model for his work, the sculptor studied the writer’s life and work for a long time, trying to understand his character, temperament and worldview. The statue of Honore de Balzac by Rodin, first introduced at the Salon in 1898, caused a real scandal in Parisian society. The figure, roughly cobbled out of stone, wrapped from head to toe in a cloak, with a pointed and asymmetrical face, was strikingly different from the usual grand monuments to great writers, and was not to the liking of the writers who refused to pay Rodin and sued him. This story, which received great publicity, angered the author, who said, “If the truth is to die, subsequent generations will break my Balzac into pieces. If the truth is not subject to death – I predict that my statue will make its way…”