From nomadic tribes to the Kazakh khanate - the Musée Guimet’s new exhibition explores 5,000 years of Kazakhstan's history in five key artefacts. stares up into the sky, his deep-set eyes exaggerating his thoughtful gaze as he contemplates the world beyond. His asymmetric, out-of-proportion body is oriented differently, giving him a sense of introspective energy.
The stylised figure could be a modern take on Auguste Rodin’s famous pensive nude ' first conceived circa 1880 – 1881 and whose oversized version created in 1904 can be seen at the Rodin Museum in Paris. But , also known as "The Man Scanning the Sky," was created from grey-brown sandstone in northern Kazakhstan's Qostanai region in the 3-2 BCE. The highly polished sculpture is a beautiful example of the early artistic expression of Kazakhstan and gives a sense of inner life and spirituality.
Despite being separated by millennia, the two sculptures are a timeless reflection on human existence. Normally on display at the National Museum of Kazakhstan, , can now be seen at the Musée Guimet in Paris, in the exhibition, '. For Guimet’s director, art historian Yannick Lintz, Tobyl’s Thinker is the “talisman of the exhibition” she wishes could stay there forever.
'Kazakhstan, Treasures of the Great Steppe' takes us through 5,000 years of the country’s history in five parts. As Lintz says, Kazakhstan was a “crossroads of civilisation”— where East met West and nomadic traditions met empires like the .
