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The Burghers of Calais

The Thinker and The Burghers of Calais will be in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento square in the city of Valencia until 13^th December thanks to the Art in the Street programme, which aims to take works of art out of galleries and return them to the public sphere. This aim is very much in line with a movement initiated by the sculptor Auguste Rodin himself, who revolutionised sculpture in the 19^th and 20^th Century by exhibiting his works outdoors.

The Thinker, arriving straight from Paris, is the sculpture that sits on top of Rodin's tomb. Initially created to immortalise the poet Dante in the famous Gates of Hell, this piece moved away from the group and took on a life of its own. Since its first public exhibition in 1906, it has become the most famous piece by this universal creator.

The monument The Burghers of Calais is arriving in Valencia in the form of six independent sculptures. Auguste Rodin wished to portray the heroism of six leading figures from Calais ready to sacrifice their lives to save the city during the Hundred Years War. This monument was Rodin's first attempt to bring sculpture to people out on the street, since he decided to make it at ground level so that people could really appreciate the essence of the subject, just as in church sculptures.

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Valencia/València