Auguste Rodin’s Monument to Balzac was first exhibited in 1898.
Rodin showed the monument at the Salon of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 1898. The Société des gens de lettres had commissioned the project to honor the novelist Honoré de Balzac, and Rodin spent years researching Balzac’s appearance, clothing, and character.
Instead of producing a conventional realistic portrait, Rodin created a powerful figure wrapped in a large robe. The simplified head and concealed body challenged the expectations of patrons and critics, who were accustomed to more literal public monuments.
The work was rejected by the commissioning organization, and the dispute damaged Rodin’s relationship with the patrons. Today, Monument to Balzac is regarded as a landmark of modern sculpture because it emphasizes the writer’s force and presence over anatomical detail.