Gary Arseneau - Deception: Are These Really Rodins?

EDMONTON ART GALLERY

In the MacLaren Art Centre’s exhibition checklist, it lists a "Balzac(1897)" and "The Age of Bronze (1876) as "bronzes" loaned from the "Collection of the Edmonton Art Gallery." The Edmonton Art Gallery’s very own registration documentation for these two bronzes are as follows:

Acquisition date: Mar 1, 1978
Accession No.: 78.7.2
Artist: Auguste Rodin,
Title: L'age D'airain, 1876
Edition: Cast No. 12 of 12
Dimensions (h,w,d): 104.8 x 34.3 x 29.5 cm
Material: cast bronze
Markings/labels:On right of right side of base - by Musee Rodin, 1970;
On back right of base - Georges Rudier Fondeur, Paris
Signature: base, top - A. Rodin
Source: Westburne International Industries. Prior to donation to EAG from the
collection of J.A. Scrymgeour

Acquisition date: Mar 1, 1978
Accession No.: 78.7.1
Artist: Auguste Rodin
Title: Balzac, 1897
Edition: 12 of 12
Dimensions: 106.7 x 53.3 x 47.0 cm
Material: cast bronze
Markings/labels:On top of right side of base: By Musee Rodin 1962;
On right of back of base: Georges Rudier Fondeur, Paris
Signature: base, top - A. Rodin
Source: Westburne International Industries. Prior to donation to EAG from the
collection of J.A. Scrymgeour

There are three red flags which impeach the dates of "1876" and "1897" given by the MacLaren Art Centre and the Edmonton Art Gallery for these two "bronzes": 1)The Georges Rudier foundry went into business in 1952 (page 35, 1976 Sculpture of Auguste Rodin). 2)The practice of numbering edition of twelve began after the passage of the French decree "Article 425 of the Penal Code" in 1957 (page 281, 1981 Rodin Rediscovered). 3)The dates "1962" and "1970" on the respective "bronzes" are dead giveaways. Also the final impeachment of these two "bronzes" is that they are listed as having Auguste Rodin’s "A Rodin" signature. Unfortunately in 1962 and 1970, Auguste Rodin was still dead.