Ernesto De Fiori

Born in Italy, Ernesto De Fiori was a sculptor, painter and draftsman of Austrian descent, who studied in Munich and lived for a time in Paris. During World War I the French suspected him of spying for Germany and arrested him for a short time. In 1915 he returned to Germany and became a German citizen, but he then lived in Switzerland for years and turned to Dadaism. In 1921 he moved to Berlin and became a member of the Free Secession (New Objectivity), working as a feature writer and becoming a bon vivant in Berlin, before settling in Brazil in 1936. His works were shown posthumously in 1955 at the documenta 1 in Kassel.

The statue Max Schmeling from 1927 is almost 60 cm high and was executed in stucco. It is part of the collection of the National Gallery Berlin. There are two works titled Jack Dempsey from the year 1925: a 68 cm high statuette and a 39 cm high portrait bust, both made of bronze. The bust is in the National Gallery Berlin, the statuette in the Lehmbruck Museum Duisburg and Sculpture Collection Dresden. In Amsterdam most probably the statuette was entered since no portraits were allowed in the art competitions.