Auguste Rodin

François Auguste René Rodin was born 12 November 1840 and trained as a traditional craftsman, but an 1875 trip to Italy cracked something open: his first major figure arrived with an unexpected naturalism that clashed hard with the decorative, thematic sculpture France expected. He modeled flesh and character instead of allegory, and the establishment howled - but he refused to soften. The commissions that followed, from The Burghers of Calais to the Monument to Balzac, were unconventional memorials that kept pushing, and by 1900 he was the most celebrated sculptor alive. Wealthy clients circled after his World's Fair showing; his studio became a salon for intellectuals and artists, including his student and lover Camille Claudel, who became his creative rival. He married his lifelong companion Rose Beuret in 1917, months before both died. His reputation dipped after death, then hardened into permanence - one of the few sculptors civilians can name.