Over half of Étienne Terrus museum collection found to be forgeries

The Musée Terrus in Elne, France, has discovered that 82 of its 140 works attributed to Fauve painter Étienne Terrus (1857-1922) are forgeries. The revelation came during restoration work when art historian Eric Forcada was hired to renew the collection. Forcada noticed anomalies: signatures smudged under a white glove, crude style, cotton supports not matching Terrus's typical canvas, and anachronisms. He alerted regional cultural authorities and convened experts to confirm his findings. The local council had acquired the collection over two decades. Mayor Yves Barniol expressed shock, calling it a catastrophe for the town that revered Terrus as "our painter." An investigation has been opened to find those responsible. Before the discovery, paintings were valued up to €15,000 and drawings up to €2,000; they are now worthless.