A David Bowie painting was clearly someone’s trash but might become someone’s treasure after being found at a landfill site in Ontario, Canada.
Per CBC News, a person, who has chosen to remain anonymous, purchased the 9.5″ x 7.5″ painting from the donation center at the Machar municipal landfill for just $5. The back of the painting is signed and clearly marked on the back as part of Bowie’s “D HEAD XLVI” collection he created in the mid-’90s.
Rob Cowley, the president of Cowley Abbott Fine Art in Toronto, was contacted by the painting’s owner to confirm whether this piece of art was the real deal.
Cowley, who described the painting as a “semi-abstract portrait” said, “We were able to identify the fact that the work was quite similar to many of the portraits, these smaller-type portraits from this series that Bowie had produced in the mid-’90s. From there, we also reached out to Andy Peters, who is recognized as an expert in David Bowie’s signature and also has a great familiarity with his artwork as well. He quite enthusiastically, and quite quickly, came back to us … and was able to say that, yes, it is an authentic work by the artist.”
The piece is currently up for bid via CowleyAbbott.ca with the lot set to close on June 24 at 2:15 PM EDT. As of publishing, the current bid for the painting is at $17,100. It was estimated to sell between $9,000 – $12,000.
The president of Cowley Abbott Fine Art in Toronto says a quick valuation pegs it at between $9,000 and $12,000; however, at recent auctions, other paintings by Bowie have fetched over $30,000. https://t.co/QUnZdWreFN
— CBC News (@CBCNews) June 15, 2021
