RODIN, AUGUSTE

born Nov. 12, 1840, Paris died Nov. 17, 1917, Meudon, Fr. The Gates of Hell, bronze cast of original sculpture by Auguste Rodin. In the The Kiss, marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin, 1886; in the Muse Rodin, Paris; in full Ren-franois-auguste Rodin French sculptor of sumptuous bronze and marble figures, considered by some critics to be the greatest portraitist in the history of sculpture. His La Porte de l'Enfer (The Gates of Hell; see photograph), commissioned in 1880 for the future Muse des Arts Decoratif in Paris, remained unfinished at his death but nonetheless resulted in two of Rodin's most famous images: Le Penseur (1880; The Thinker) and Le Baiser (1886; The Kiss [see photograph]). His portraits include monumental figures of Victor Hugo and Honor de Balzac. Additional reading Robert Descharnes and J.F. Chabrun, Auguste Rodin (1967), is the most complete monograph on the life and work of the artist. Other important works are: C.J. Burckhardt, Rodin und das plastische Problem (1921), a morphological study; Judith Cladel, Auguste Rodin: l'oeuvre et l'homme (1908; Rodin: The Man and His Art, 1917); Rodin sa vie glorieuse, sa vie inconnue (1936; Rodin, 1938), studies by a direct witness; H. Charles-Estienne Dujardin-Beaumetz, Entretiens avec Rodin (1913); E. Herriot, la gloire de Rodin (1927), an expression of admiration from a great man of politics; G. Grappe, Rodin (1955), by the conservator of the Muse Rodin in Paris; R. Maria Rilke, who was the artist's secretary for a short time, Auguste Rodin (1902; 2nd ed., 1913; Eng. trans. 1946, reprinted 1974); and Lettres Rodin (192834); Denys Sutton, Triumphant Satyr: The World of Auguste Rodin (1966), an aesthetic and biographical study; Marcelle Tirel, Rodin intime (1923; The Last Years of Rodin, 1925, reprinted 1974), by Rodin's secretary; and L. Weinberg, The Art of Rodin (1918). Later works include Albert Edward Elson, Auguste Rodin: Readings on His Life and Works (1965); Elizabeth Ripley, Rodin; Bernard Champignneulle, Rodin (1967); and Ionel Jianu, Rodin (1967). Major Works: Sculpture. All bronzes (in multiple editions) unless otherwise noted. L'Homme au nez cass (The Man with the Broken Nose; 1864; Muse Rodin, Paris); Young Girl with Flowers in Her Hair (plaster, 186570; Muse Rodin); Young Mother and Child (186570; Muse Rodin); L'ge d'Airain (The Age of Bronze; 1876; Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minnesota); St. Jean-Baptiste prchant (St. John the Baptist Preaching; 1878; Museum of Modern Art, New York City); La Porte de l'Enfer (The Gates of Hell; 18801917; Rodin Museum, Philadelphia); Le Penseur (The Thinker; 1880; Muse Rodin); Adam (1880; Rodin Museum); Eve (1881; Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio); Le Petit Homme au nez cass (The Little Man with the Broken Nose; 1882; Muse Rodin); The Earth (1884; Muse Rodin); Les Bourgeois de Calais; (The Burghers of Calais; 188486; Joseph H. Hirshhorn Collection, New York City); The Martyr (1885; Rodin Museum); Le Baiser (The Kiss; 1886; Tate Gallery, London); Balzac, Nude (1893; Muse Rodin); Balzac (1897; Rodin Museum); Victor Hugo (1897; Muse Rodin); Fugit amor (1897; Muse Rodin); The Bather or Beside the Sea (marble, 1905; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City); The Walking Man (1905; Muse Rodin); George Bernard Shaw (1906; Rodin Museum); Nijinsky (1912; Muse Rodin). Writings. la Vnus de Milo (1910; To the Venus de Milo, 1912); L'Art (1911 and 1946; On Art and Artists, 1957), conversations collected by Paul Gsell; Les Cathdrales de France (1914; Cathedrals of France, 1965).