Daniel E. (Don) Rohrig (American, 1911-1969)
Daniel Rohrig never trained as an artist. As a boy in his childhood hometown of Harmony, Indiana, he would use photos of movie stars and actors from film magazines as models for his drawings and paintings. Serving in the Pacific during WWII, Rohrig became fascinated with the art and culture of Japan and turned his attention to the depiction of Japanese movie stars. He envisions his favorite Japanese actors in invented scenes and settings, many annotated with their names. He also depicts significant events in Japan’s history, often examples of its military prowess. Rohrig died suddenly in 1969. Some ten years later, the consignor learned of Rohrig’s work from his niece (who is also the source of this biographical sketch). He purchased the three portfolios of original work she had inherited at Rohrig’s death, some 70 works in all. Rohrig’s art remained undiscovered and unavailable to the public until offered in December of 2018 by Rago, which remains the exclusive agent. To date, Rohrig has sold at auction and at the 2019 Outsider Art Fair in New York. The American Museum of Folk Art, New York, NY has acquired four works for its collection, intended for a 2020 exhibition.
Information Courtesy of Rago Arts, October, 2019.