The Gates of Hell by Auguste Rodin

The bronze sculpture “The Gates of Hell” by Auguste Rodin has been standing alongside the entrance to the Kunsthaus Zurich (art museum) since 1949. The work is almost 7m tall and weighs 8 tons. It was created by the French sculptor between 1880 and 1917. The bronze sculpture is a vision of the afterlife inspired by Dante’s Inferno from the “Divina Commedia”.

It shows 186 figures grouped around a central "Thinker". Powerful but graceful mythical creatures, people and animals are depicted rising up or falling into hell. The sculpture is realistic, albeit in part deliberately exaggerated to better illustrate the basic emotions of fear, desire and suffering.