Christie's Paris: The Auguste Rodin's Sculpture Thinker, Highlight of the Collection

 As part of the sale of the collection "Le Grand Style: An apartment on the Quai d'Orsay designed by Alberto Pinto" on June 30 in Paris, Christie's is pleased to announce one of the highlights of the collection: Auguste Rodin's most iconic sculpture, The Thinker, estimated at €9,000,000-14,000,000. The powerful presence of Rodin’s emblematic masterpiece was a central feature in this breath-taking apartment overlooking the river Seine on the Quai d’Orsay, one of Paris’s most illustrious addresses. The cast which is dated circa 1928, is the main highlight of the sale.

Lionel Gosset, Vice-Président, Director, Private & Iconic Collections :

“It is a great honour to be entrusted with such a beautiful collection combining many Art disciplines, each work or object having been chosen with an the most attentive eye. The collector relied on his friend and world famous interior decorator, Alberto Pinto, to decorate his Parisian apartment. Particularly renowned for his ability to create luxurious interiors, adorned with elegant boiseries and sumptuous fabrics, Alberto Pinto created a princely décor for the Quai d’Orsay, harmoniously bringing together highly refined pieces of furniture with old master paintings, sumptuous 19th century carpets, silverware and sculptural masterpieces among which we find Auguste Rodin’s major work, The Thinker. To offer such a masterpiece in Paris is a real event, and should arouse the interest of collectors from around the world”.

Unanimously considered the father of Modern sculpture, Auguste Rodin’s influence was far reaching throughout the 20th century. His work had a pivotal influence on major artists such as Brancusi, Picasso and Henry Moore, his seminal vocabulary of shapes paving the way for more abstract compositions during the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Thinker, was first conceived around 1880 as part of the famous and monumental Gates of Hell inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. It was only in 1904, when it is exhibited for the first time at the Salon de Paris, that it became a work on its own. It was immediately met with extraordinary enthusiasm and when a public appeal for funds was launched, donations poured in with the sculpture becoming the property of the City of Paris and the colossal bronze taking pride of place in front of the Pantheon in 1906.

Rodin’s sculpture gallery featured many now famous compositions such as The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais and the Gates of Hell, but it was The Thinker, a heroic figure in the purest tradition of Michelangelo, which is undoubtedly the most memorable of all. Like Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Edward Munch's Scream, Auguste Rodin's The Thinker has become one of the most recognisable works with almost legendary status in the canon of history of art.

With a tortured but powerful body yet with a vehemently free spirit, The Thinker is a universal symbol of the Human mind. "What makes my Thinker think," the artist explained, "is that he thinks not only with his brain, his furrowed brow, distended nostrils, and his compressed lips, but also with all the muscles of his arms, back, and legs, with his clenched fist and toes" (quoted in J. Tancock, op. cit., 1976:112).

The present cast, with an exquisite black and brown patina, is of exceptional quality. It was made circa 1928 by the Fonderie Alexis Rudier, known for creating some of the most sought after bronzes by Rodin.

Several monumental-sized bronze casts of The Thinker are in world renowned museums and public locations worldwide such as Columbia University in New York, the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco or the Ca’Pesaro Museum in Venice.

The work will go on a world tour of exhibitions from New York to Hong Kong and London before arriving back in Paris for one week of viewing from June 23 prior to the auction on June 30.

Paris – Christie's is honoured to announce the sale of an exceptional collection from an extraordinary Parisian apartment designed by the renowned interior designer Alberto Pinto. This sale, entitled "Le Grand Style: An apartment on the Quai d'Orsay designed by Alberto Pinto", will take place on June 30 in Paris. The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin, will be offered in a cast dated circa 1928 (estimate €9,000,000-14,000,000). This iconic work by one of the greatest masters in the history of sculpture will undeniably be a highlight of the sale. With a great number of outstanding pieces, spanning a dazzling array of styles, periods and cultures, the 238 lots perfectly reflect the combination of the passionate search of the collector for the most beautiful works of art with Alberto Pinto’s masterly command of the setting in which to display then . In this stunning panorama of the arts across time and geography, the decorative arts and furniture form the major part. In both the fine and decorative arts fields, masterpieces and major works of significant historical value will be offered. Among these, collectors and bidders will discover several items with a Hubert de Givenchy provenance, highly sought after for their quality, opulence and the prestige of this celebrated collection. The overall estimate for the collection is between 26 and 40 million euros.

Charles Cator, Deputy Chairman, Christie’s International: “With its extraordinary enfilade of rooms overlooking the Seine, the mise en scène on the Quai d’Orsay magicked by Alberto Pinto as a setting for this extraordinary collection was thrilling to see— Old Master paintings, superb French decorative arts, magnificent silver and silver-gilt, masterpiece sculpture spanning from the 16th century to Rodin’s iconic Le Penseur. Impressionist works by Chagall and Matisse as well as Post War examples by Yves Klein and Sigmar Polke added a 20th Century dimension. It has been a very special privilege to have been involved with the collection for many years. Built with a discerning eye, this collection is definitely the oeuvre of a great collector. Perpetually in search of a rare piece and a true lover of the arts, he followed public auctions of remarkable  collections whether in London, Monte Carlo or New York. A particular high point was the acquisitions made at the landmark Christie’s sale of part of Hubert de Givenchy’s collection in December 1993 which were the crowning glory of the refurbishment of the apartment, making it one of most distinguished and successful in Paris. It was the greatest privilege to advise this great collector in his quest for the most exquisite art works”.

Lionel Gosset, Deputy Chairman, Directeur des Collections, Christie’s France : “It is a great honour to be entrusted with such a beautiful collection. The collector worked with his friend and world famous interior designer, Alberto Pinto, to decorate his Parisian apartment and create a setting for his superb collection .For the Quai d'Orsay, where he resided himself, Alberto Pinto gave the full measure of his talent. This sumptuous décor, thoroughly composed with highly refined pieces of furniture, Old Master paintings, sumptuous 19th century carpets, silverware and sculpture masterpieces, is truly extraordinary. The opportunity to offer such a collection in Paris is a rare event. It should arouse the interest of collectors from all over the world”

In the Quai d'Orsay apartment, which he introduced to his client, Pinto was entrusted with creating the setting for the collection. Visitors were greeted by a sumptuous Louis XIV ebony and Boulle marquetry bureau plat attributed to André-Charles  Boulle while being watched over by a striking ensemble of antique busts.

In the Grand Salon, adorned with elaborately decorated boiseries set off by exotic silks, velvets and passementerie, one’s eye was drawn irresistibly to a delicate and lavish Régence mirror, a rarity with its frame entirely of gilt-bronze, facing Rodin's masterpiece, The Thinker, and directly behind it, through the window, a wonderful view of the Seine.

The magic of the apartment was most fully revealed when one entered the dining room. The walls were entirely covered with silk velvet, a real tour de force of craftsmanship, creating an intimate atmosphere in a room that was in fact monumental. The rarest artefacts in silver and silver-gilt from all over Europe glinted in and reflected back the soft light thrown by the majestic carved and gilded chandelier. The effect, at once delicate and princely, is that of an appartement du soir, the quintessence of Alberto Pinto’s celebration of the French Art de Vivre. By bringing Versailles and the banks of the Seine together, Pinto created the most beautiful setting for an exquisite evening.

The rich textures and elaborate surfaces, ormolu, Boulle marquetry, lacquer bronze and silver-gilt were enhanced by their kunstkammer setting. In this rich mix are not only outstanding examples, but a galaxy of interesting, celebrated and romantic provenances from the 17th to the 20th Century. From the Duc de Richelieu, the Earls of Lonsdale, the Dukes of Buckingham, Count Palffy and, of course, the Rothschilds – both the Viennese  and the English branches  - through  Antenor Patiño and Duc de Talleyrand-Périgord to Peter Jay Sharp, François Catroux and Marcel Bissey.

A remarkable body of works bring another 20th Century dimension to this magnificent ensemble. L’Écuyer, a poetic work of Marc Chagall (estimate €1,000,000-1,500,000), or a delicate Portrait de Micheline by Henri Matisse, from the Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent collection (estimate €450,000-650,000), are definitely worth mentioning as they will count among the highlights of the sale on June 30.

Finally, the most contemporary works of the collection, including some major artists such as Yves Klein, Cosmogonie COS 31 (€2,500,000-3,500,000), Sigmar Polke, How Fish can Boost your Brain Power (€1,900,000-2,400,000), Fausto Melotti, Le Bugie (1974, €200,000-300,000) or as well Francesco Lo Savio, Spazio Luce (Monocromo Giallo), estimated at €300,000-500,000, will be offered in our contemporary art London to Paris sale, on 28 June.