"Antiques Roadshow" has gained popularity not just for the rare artifacts featured on the show and the stories behind them, but also for experts who have a reputation for literally flooring guests with their massive valuations. Sometimes people have no idea about how precious the items that they have hoarded for years could be. This was the case with a guest who was left in tears after learning the true value of her 'ugly thrift store' painting.
Ugly Artwork Shines on the Show
On the American version of the hit BBC show, the guest brought the abstract painting which she bought for about $9.99 from a thrift store. The guest shared that she bought the painting because it appealed to her and because she never spent more than $9.99 on art. A clip from the episode from Fort Worth was shared by PBS.
However, when she brought the painting home, her children found the painting to be rather ugly. This did not affect the guest who felt at peace by looking at the painting resting on a mantle at her home. She told the expert that the painting was signed by the artist 'Ferran' and it carried information behind it as well. Nan Chisholm, the show's expert appraiser, confirmed that the painting was an authentic piece of art called 'The Prophet' by renowned American artist John Ferren in 1947.
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Nan decided to delve deeper into the backstory of the artist and explained how he was a part of the early Abstract Expressionism movement and how he matured as an artist throughout the 1930s in Paris and Italy, where he was pursuing a career as a sculptor.
Nan said that the artist picked up the brush after he saw the work of Henri Matisse at an exhibition in Munich, and his new ambitions helped him create some masterpieces. The expert shared that Ferren even helped Picasso sketch one of his most enduring works, Guernica (1937). Coming to the painting in the guest's possession, Nan estimated that the artist completed it 10 years after he moved back to the US. The expert noted that his name was at the bottom of the painting, and after looking at the back, she was ecstatic to see all the pertinent information including the size of the painting and an artist inventory number.
"I want to show everyone it not only has the date of 1947...but the artist's name printed clearly so that it can be read easily," Nan said.
A Masterpiece Hidden in Plain Sight
Noting that it was terrific to see all the information written on the back, Nan stressed that finding the painting was like a dream come true. However, the expert did clarify that the painting had several 'surface condition problems,' such as paint smudges, which could affect its value. She then asked the golden question to the guest. "Do you have any idea what it might be worth other than $9.99?" she said. The guest laughed and told her that she had no clue how much the painting could be worth.
Nan then told her that it was still in good condition and being 'The Prophet' by Ferren, the painting could be sold for about $15,000 to $20,000 to a retail gallery. "Really, $20,000? Wow, that is a lot," the guest replied while breaking down.
Overwhelmed by emotion, the guest joked that her children would want her to sell the painting but she will not do so. "I'm just going to go, No!" she said.
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