François-Auguste-René Rodin was born in Paris on November 12, 1840 and died in Meudon on November 17, 1917. After being rejected at the Paris Art School, he worked as a sculptor and ornamenter. In 1864 he met Rose Beuret, who lived by his side until his death and with whom he had a son, Auguste. In the 1880s, Rodin began an extensive body of work glorifying pain and passion: The Hell Gate, The kiss, Victor Hugo, The Citizens of Calais or Balzac come from this period. From 1890 Rodin was internationally successful. In 1887 he was inducted into the Legion of Honour.