Relocating Rodin’s “The Thinker”

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917), The Thinker, 1880, bronze, Edition of 12, Cast No. 11, Norton Simon Art Foundation (new location)

For the past 25 years, Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker has occupied a prominent place on the south lawn of the Museum’s campus facing Colorado Boulevard. Although this location is advantageous during the Rose Parade, when the parade route passes by the south facade of the building, Museum staff noticed that visitors often overlooked the sculpture, which could only be accessed by walking through the grass around the perimeter of the building.

The Thinker in its former location on Colorado Boulevard

The Exterior Improvement Project presented us with an opportunity to reconsider The Thinker’s most effective location. With its dramatic, seven-foot-tall pedestal—a stated preference of the artist—and the looming pose of the figure, The Thinker was not an ideal candidate for the more intimate environment of the galleries. Moreover, we wished to reunite it with the extensive assembly of Rodin’s sculptures installed along the Museum’s entry path. Rather than wedging this imposing bronze within the current display, we chose to create a new location for The Thinker just to the left of the front steps. Situated at the top of the newly built pedestrian walkway, this position increases the visibility of Rodin’s best-known sculpture and situates it in direct dialogue with his other works, such as Monument to Balzac and The Burghers of Calais.

Moving the over-life-size bronze presented some challenges, but our installation team was up to the task, having recently reinstalled the outdoor sculptures in the newly improved garden. First we had to determine The Thinker’s method of attachment to its concrete pedestal, which was invisible but had secured the sculpture against earthquakes for a quarter of a century. Detailed sketches in the archives revealed the location of a long, threaded stainless steel rod angling from the hollow interior of The Thinker’s rock seat, down through a channel inside the concrete and ending at a hidden hatch where it could be disconnected. Next, specialized padded rigging ensured the one-ton sculpture would remain perfectly upright when lifted by a mobile crane. Once it was removed from its original base, we fitted the interior of the bronze casting with a new mounting system paired with precisely located anchor points in the top of the recently poured cement pedestal. A much larger crane delicately lowered the bronze onto its custom-made base, nestled among the new plantings.

The Thinker in its new location

In its current location, The Thinker is now one of the first works of art that visitors encounter upon arrival at the Museum, where it provides an introduction to the riches of our collections. As a symbol of human thought and creativity, the pensive figure still towers over viewers, just as the artist intended. Yet by ascending the stairs, we may alter our orientation to this powerful work, offering new, ever-changing perspectives on Rodin’s most iconic sculpture.

 —John Griswold, Head of Conservation and Installations, and Emily Talbot, Chief Curator and Vice President of Collections
This article first appeared in the Museum’s Fall 2025 Newsletter.