This small polished bronze sculpture reproduces, in a refined and almost minimalist manner, the position of Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker, a large bronze sculpture of a naked man resting his head on his hand. Here, figuration is absent: only the head and the movement of the elbow remind us of the meditative pose of Rodin’s model. The artist reflects on the models of Western art history, while the roundness of the polished bronze and the sinuous curves of this anthropomorphic figure also evoke the works of the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi. Throughout her career, Camille Henrot has created numerous linear and enigmatic bronze sculptures, often inspired by objects gathered during her travels. She pays great attention to the plastic qualities of her works which are designed to be “visually tactile”—according to her, sculptures are objects that invite themselves into the intimacy of the viewer and can become media for “emotional protection,” like artefacts that one would like to be able to preserve and touch.

Text written by Marianne Tricoire as part of the partnership between the École du Louvre and Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin.

© ADAGP Paris

Exhibition