Auguste Rodin

A bronze statue of a nude of Honore de Balzac with his arms crossed, by French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), was stolen from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The work was created by Rodin between 1892 and 1893, as part of a series of studies for a monument erected in Paris to honor the French writer and was donated to the museum by U.S. art collector Billy Rose. Representatives of the museum said that the piece by Rodin-50 inches high by 24 inches wide-was stolen at some point during the extensive years-long renovation work done at the museum. The staff did not notice that the piece was missing until the moment they looked for it to install it on one of the gardens. The museum appreciates any information that may lead to the recovery of the work.