[Nederlandse versie]

In january 2006 two thieves stole a small cast of the Thinker - dating from the 1920’s - from the Singer Museum in Laren, Holland. Not knowing the value of the sculpture, the thieves started taking the sculpture apart to be melted down, but alarmed by the press attention for their theft, and learning about its estimated value, they burried the sculpture in their garden. A few days later it was found, heavily damaged. Since then there’s been a small and interesting discussion going on about the restoration of the sculpture. However, this happens mainly within a journalistic, non-lasting context. Gert Jan Kocken and I are aiming to lift the issues surrounding the destruction and possible restoration of the iconic Thinker to a more philosophical, scholarly and essayistic level. We therefore initiated an art project based on the attached photo, in which both the creation of Rodin and the traces of destruction have equal value.