Sometimes a bargain buy can turn out to be something far more valuable than it first appears.
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it → turn → ?
That happened when a shopper picked up a small painting for just C$5 at a donation centre near a landfill in South River, Ontario.
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shopper → happen → River
The surprise came after the buyer noticed the name
David Bowie on the back.
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buyer → come → back
According to Cowley Abbott, the auction house that later handled the work, the painting was identified as DHead XLVI, a 1997 acrylic and computer collage on canvas.
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painting → accord → canvas
After its authenticity was confirmed, the painting went to auction in June 2021 and sold for C$108,120, including the buyer’s premium.
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painting → confirm → premium
From a donation centre to an auction room
The painting had been sitting among unwanted household goods at a donation centre associated with the Machar Township landfill near South River.
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painting → sit → River
The shopper spotted the small canvas among the discarded goods and bought it for C$5.
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shopper → spot → 5
The painting measured only 9.75 by 8 inches, making its eventual price even more striking.
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price → measure → inches
On the back was a label identifying the artist as David Bowie, along with his signature and the date 1997.
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label → identify → signature
At first, however, there was no reason to assume the label was genuine.
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label → be → ?
The circumstances of the discovery were unusual enough to make the buyer question whether the painting could really be Bowie's work.
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painting → make → discovery
That is where the auction house's research began.
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research → begin → ?
Experts traced the painting to Bowie
Cowley Abbott investigated the artwork before putting it up for sale.
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Abbott → trace → sale
The auction house contacted David Bowie specialist Andy Peters, who helped confirm that the work was authentic.
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work → contact → Peters
Cowley Abbott's own listing credits Peters with assisting in the authentication.
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listing → credit → authentication
The research also connected the painting to Bowie's work from the 1990s.
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research → connect → 1990s
Titled DHead XLVI, the piece is an acrylic and computer collage on canvas, signed and dated 1997 on the reverse.
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piece → title → reverse
It belongs to Bowie's Dead Heads, also known as D Head, series.
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It → belong → Head
Bowie produced the series between 1995 and 1997.
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Bowie → produce → 1995
The works featured portraits of people from his circle, including friends, acquaintances and band members, along with some self-portraits.
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works → feature → portraits
The individual paintings were identified using Roman numerals rather than conventional names.
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paintings → identify → numerals
The sitter in DHead XLVI was not identified, adding another small mystery to the unusual artwork.
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sitter → identify → artwork
Bowie was also a visual artist
David Bowie is best remembered as a musician and performer, but his interest in art began long before the painting ended up at the Ontario donation centre.
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painting → remember → centre
He studied art and design as a young man and remained interested in visual art throughout his life.
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He → study → life
He collected artwork and also produced paintings of his own.
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He → collect → own
His work was influenced by modernist and expressionist artists, including Francis Bacon and painters associated with the London School.
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work → influence → School
The Dead Heads paintings reflect that interest, using loose, energetic portraits rather than the polished appearance one might expect from conventional celebrity artwork.
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one → reflect → artwork
That background also helped explain why the small canvas could command serious interest once its connection to Bowie was established.
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connection → help → Bowie
The auction estimate was far lower
Even after authentication, Cowley Abbott did not initially put an enormous estimate on the painting.
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Abbott → put → painting
The auction house valued DHead XLVI at C$9,000 to C$12,000 before the sale.
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house → value → sale
The online auction ran from June 15 to June 24, 2021.
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auction → run → June
Interest quickly went beyond those expectations.
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Interest → go → expectations
Collectors from Canada and other parts of the world competed for the work, and the final price climbed to C$108,120, including the buyer's premium.
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price → compete → premium
The sale also established a new auction record for an artwork by Bowie at the time.
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sale → establish → time
Why the story attracted so much attention
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story → attract → attention
The painting itself was rare, but its journey added another layer to the sale.
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journey → add → sale
There was the famous name, the limited number of works in the Dead Heads series and the fact that Bowie artwork rarely appeared at auction.
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artwork → be → auction
Then there was the extraordinary story of how this particular piece had been found.
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piece → be → ?
It had gone from a landfill donation centre, where someone paid only C$5 for it, to an international art auction where collectors were prepared to spend more than C$100,000.
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collectors → go → 100,000
The painting's path also shows how easily valuable objects can be overlooked when their history is unknown.
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history → show → ?
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
