Auguste Rodin first exhibited The Kiss in its marble form in 1898.
Rodin’s The Kiss depicts the doomed lovers Paolo and Francesca from Dante’s Divine Comedy. The pair appear in an intimate embrace, but the scene also captures the moment before their illicit kiss leads to discovery and death. Rodin originally conceived the group as part of The Gates of Hell.
The marble version was shown publicly in 1898, after Rodin had developed the composition through earlier models and versions. Its smooth finish and balanced pose made it one of his most widely recognized works.
The date can be confused with the sculpture’s earlier history: Rodin worked on related versions before the famous marble was exhibited, and the work’s literary subject comes from Dante rather than from a contemporary love story.