General Information

Balzac Monument is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin in memory of the French novelist Honoré de Balzac, located on Boulevard du Montparnasse. While the sculpture is anthropomorphic and vaguely resembles the writer, it is believed to embody the spirit of Balzac’s work rather than be his realistic depiction, in true Rodin’s style.

History: Highlights

The work was commissioned in 1891 by the Société des Gens de Lettres and a full size plaster model was displayed in 1898 at a Salon in Champ de Mars. After coming under criticism the model was rejected by the Société and Rodin moved it to his home in Meudon. The model was cast in bronze for the first time and placed in its current location in 1939.