Ernest Durig
Ernest Durig (1894–1962) was a sculptor and art forger, known for his faking of drawings by Auguste Rodin. Durig claimed to have been a pupil of Rodin, but the only documentation of their having ever met is a single photograph. His sitters included Mussolini, US President Harry S. Truman, and the actor Will Rogers.
Ernest Durig
National Photo Company Collection · Library of Congress Catalog: https: Image download: https: Original url · Public domain
- Name
- Ernest Durig
- Born
- 1894
- Birthplace
- Zürich, Switzerland
- Died
- 1962
- Place of death
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Occupation
- Sculptor
- Known for
- Art forgery
- Nationality
- Switzerland
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Ernest Durig (1894–1962) was a sculptor and art forger, known for his faking of drawings by Auguste Rodin. Durig claimed to have been a pupil of Rodin, but the only documentation of their having ever met is a single photograph. His sitters included Mussolini, US President Harry S. Truman, and the actor Will Rogers.
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wikidata · Q26204027 · wikipedia · Ernest Durig
In this article
Biography
Biography
He sculpted a peace memorial for Greenwood, Wisconsin, from an artificial stone made using concrete and fine white sand. Unveiled in 1937, it was restored in 1982. In July 2016 BBC Television screened an episode of Fake or Fortune?, in which a privately held watercolour of a Cambodian dancer, supposedly by Rodin, was exposed as a Durig fake. The New York Museum of Modern Art holds a collection of his drawings. Others, previously thought to be by Rodin, are in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris. Durig's extensive career of forgery was first exposed in the 4 June 1965 issue of LIFE.
![Ruth Bryan Owens poses for Ernest Durig, [4/20/29] Abstract/medium: 1 negative: glass; 4 x 5 in. or smaller](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Ruth_Bryan_Owens_poses_for_Ernest_Durig%2C_%284-20-29%29_LCCN2016843765.jpg/797px-Ruth_Bryan_Owens_poses_for_Ernest_Durig%2C_%284-20-29%29_LCCN2016843765.jpg)
Ruth Bryan Owens poses for Ernest Durig, [4/20/29] Abstract/medium: 1 negative: glass; 4 x 5 in. or smaller
National Photo Company Collection · Library of Congress Catalog: https: Image download: https: Original url
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ernest Durig • Born — 1894 • Birthplace — Zürich, Switzerland • Died — 1962 • Place of death — Washington, D.C., United States • Occupation — Sculptor • Known for — Art forgery
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Zurich.
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Washington and D.C.
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Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ernest Durig. gallery.ca.
- 2.Rodin. 3. 31 July 2016.
- 3.The Great Rodin - His Flagrant Faker. LIFE. 64–71. 4 June 1965.
- 4.The biography of Ernest Durig. ArtPrice.
- 5.Greenwood, Wisconsin's Peace Memorial.
- 6.Coord 44.767143 -90.597952 region:US-WI_type:landmark
- 7.Garbush, Florence. Peace monument part of Greenwood's history. Eau Claire Leader Telegram. 28. 4 August 1982.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Düringer, Ernst. Ernest Durig: sculptures. 1948.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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