In the context of The Kiss (Rodin sculpture), explore the French commission of the Large marble carvings.
In 1888, the French government ordered the first large-scale marble version of The Kiss from Rodin for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, but it was publicly displayed for the first time in the Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts in 1898. It was so popular that the company Barbedienne offered Rodin a contract to produce a limited number of smaller copies in bronze.  In 1900 the statue was moved to the Musée du Luxembourg before being taken to its permanent location, the Musée Rodin, in 1918.
Musée Rodin marble bronze Musée du Luxembourg Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts Barbedienne