One of the most recognizable art pieces in the world, “The Thinker,” can be found pondering at the University of Louisville (UofL).

In fact, the 6-foot-7-inch hunk of bronze at Grawemeyer Hall is the very first large-scale cast of Auguste Rodin’s masterpiece — cast under his personal supervision in Paris in 1903 — which gives UofL bragging rights to owning the most original.

So, how did Louisville become home to such a notable piece of history, valued at an estimated $23 million?

We can thank prominent Louisville lawyer + art lover Arthur Hopkins. After his death in 1944, his will instructed his estate to purchase a copy of “The Thinker,” which it did in 1949 from an art collector in Baltimore for $22,500. While Hopkins wanted the statue to reside at Central Park or Cherokee park, the city decided to put “The Thinker” in front of Grawemeyer Hall, where it has sat ever since.

Fun fact: Due to corrosion, the statue was given a black-over-green patina between December 2011 and February 2012.