The Gates of Hell
Auguste Rodin was commissioned to make a pair of bronze doors to symbolize the gates of hell. He received the commission on August 20, 1880 for a new art museum in Paris, to exhibit at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, which ultimately did not open; however in 1900, some of them were part of his first solo exhibition in Paris. Rodin spent seven years making the doors, with over 200 figures appearing on it. He was first inspired by Dante's "Inferno" but focused more on universal human emotions. During his lifetime the model was never cast and it was first cast in 1925. "The Gates of Hell" was described as one of the defining works of Rodin. Having hoped to exhibit his "Gates" at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, but probably too busy to finish them, the sculptor stopped working on them circa 1890.