Lost painting
$4 junk shop image turns out to be a masterpiece — and could fetch $250,000
Work by artist NC Wyeth resurfaced after 80 years
© Bonhams Skinner
Accidental find for a woman from New Hampshire: A picture for 4 dollars from the antique shop turned out to be a painting by the artist Newell Convers Wyeth – and is now to be auctioned for a six-figure sum.
Many junk buyers probably dream of such a find. A woman from the US bought a four dollar one at a thrift store Bought a painting that years later turned out to be a lost masterpiece. Now the work of the artist Newell Convers Wyeth is to be sold for a six-figure sum. Auction house Bonhams Skinners has set a list price of between 150,000 and 250,000 US dollars for the September 19 auction.
The junk shopper bought the painting in 2017 at an antique store in Manchester, New Hampshire, near the US East Coast. She had no idea that it could be a treasure that had been lost for 80 years. She hung the picture in her bedroom for a few years before taking it down and storing it in a closet. Earlier this year, she stumbled upon it again while cleaning out and shared a photo of it on a Facebook group for Unknown Finds.
Expert can’t believe her eyes
Painting restorer Lauren Lewis also saw this post. At first she couldn’t believe that someone owned such an original work without having the slightest idea about art, she reported to the “Insider” portal. She contacted the owner and paid her a visit to see the painting in person.
Finally, the expert identified the picture as an original by the famous US painter and illustrator NC Wyeth. The work had previously only been known as an illustration in a 1939 edition of the novel “Ramona” by author Helen Hunt Jackson. The picture shows the title heroine of the novel with her strict stepmother.
For decades nobody knew where the original had gone. “It wasn’t uncommon for publishers to just give away the original paintings that were made to serve as illustrations,” explains Lewis. “They were not considered of any value to either the artist or the publisher after they were published…”
NC Wyeth, who died in a traffic accident in 1945, is still considered one of the most important artists of the 20th century. Interested parties can view the work in person at Skinner auction house until mid-September before the hammer falls on September 19.
Sources: Bonham’s Skinner / insider / New York Post