2 of 3 Rodin sculptures sell at NYC auction: 'The Thinker' for $15M, 'Ugolino' for nearly $1M

The Associated Press

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Two early casts from Auguste Rodin's masterpiece "The Gates of Hell" have sold for a total of more than $16 million at a New York City auction.

"The Thinker" sold Tuesday for $15.3 million, a new record for the figure. Sotheby's hasn't said who bought it.

A later cast of the statue was auctioned for just under $12 million in 2010.

The full-scale sculpture was commissioned by publishing magnate Ralph Pulitzer in 1906 and made under Rodin's supervision.

"Ugolino (oo-goh-LEE'-noh) and His Children," from 1883, sold for $965,000. "The Kiss," from 1909, did not sell.

The pieces were consigned by a private collector.

"The Gates" is based on Dante's "Inferno." It was never fully realized. Philadelphia's Rodin Museum owns the first bronze cast of "The Gates."

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Online: http://www.sothebys.com