Photo: Massimo Ravera / Moment / Getty Images
In 2017, a woman bought an original painting by early 20th century American artist Newell Convers Wyeth from a bin of posters and prints in a Manchester, New Hampshire, thrift store. The unnamed woman paid $4 for the painting, which she joked about possibly being real, and hung it in her bedroom for a couple of years before storing it in a closet.
Then earlier this year, the woman posted a picture of the painting on social media and someone recognized it as being an authentic Wyeth painting. The artist was most well-known for his illustrations, having illustrated over a hundred books in his 40-year career. Experts believe the woman’s painting is one of four illustrations created by Wyeth for a 1939 print edition of the book “Ramona” by Helen Hunt Jackson. Only one other illustration from this set is known to exist.
After confirming the painting’s authenticity, the woman decided to auction the artwork off. She has enlisted Bonhams Skinner Auction House, who will open the painting up for viewing in a few days and have scheduled the auction for September 19th. Bonhams Skinner expects the painting will sell for between $150- to $250-thousand.
Source: INSIDE EDITION
Photo: Getty Images