The Kiss (Rodin sculpture)

Lore & Background

The sculpture was originally part of a group of reliefs decorating Rodin's bronze portal The Gates of Hell, commissioned for a planned museum of art in Paris. The couple were later removed from the Gates and replaced with another pair of lovers. The work depicts Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta, who fell in love while reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere, as described in Dante's Inferno. In the sculpture, the book can be seen in Paolo's hand, and the lovers' lips do not touch, creating tension alluding to their imminent murder or the act of lust itself. When critics first saw the sculpture in 1887, they suggested the less specific title Le Baiser (The Kiss). Rodin indicated his approach to sculpting women was of homage to them and their bodies, as full partners in ardor, which made the sculpture controversial. A bronze version sent to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was considered unsuitable for general display and relegated to an inner chamber with admission only by personal application.

Reader's Guide

The Kiss is one of Rodin's most famous works, notable for its eroticism and the tension created by the couple's lips not touching. The sculpture's history includes multiple commissions and controversies. The French government ordered the first large-scale marble version in 1888, displayed publicly in 1898. A copy commissioned by Edward Perry Warren in 1900 included a contract specifying that 'the genitals of the man must be complete,' reflecting Warren's desire for Classical Greek tradition. This copy was stored in a stable for a decade, then loaned to Lewes Town Hall where puritanical residents objected to its erotic nature, particularly concerning soldiers billeted in the town. It was draped and screened from public view. The sculpture later entered the Tate Gallery collection in 1955. A third replica was commissioned by Carl Jacobsen for his museum in Copenhagen. The work has been subject to artistic interventions, such as Cornelia Parker wrapping it in string in 2003, which prompted an unauthorized cutting of the string by a Stuckist artist. The Kiss has appeared in popular culture, including a song by the band Yes, an episode of All in the Family, and a Terry Gilliam animation in Monty Python's Flying Circus.

Did You Know?

• The sculpture was originally titled Francesca da Rimini, after the 13th-century Italian noblewoman from Dante's Inferno.
• The lovers' lips do not touch in the sculpture, creating tension alluding to their imminent murder or the act of lust.
• A bronze version sent to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was relegated to an inner chamber with admission only by personal application.
• The contract for Edward Perry Warren's copy specified that 'the genitals of the man must be complete.'