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A $30 painting, found in ‘dark corner’ of estate sale, fetches $1.35M at auction
The anonymous buyer authenticated the work after research and a museum visit, and five phone bidders helped drive the price past its estimate.
- On Thursday, figurative painter Gertrude Abercrombie's 1951 painting "Alderman Merriam's Shells" sold at Freeman's auction house in New York for a record $1.35 million, shattering its $200,000 high estimate.
- An anonymous buyer discovered the work at a Michigan estate sale last summer for just $30, where it had remained in the collection of Dr. John Reynolds for over 70 years as payment for medical services.
- To verify the painting's provenance, the consignor visited the touring Abercrombie retrospective "The Whole World Is a Mystery" at the Milwaukee Art Museum; art historian Susan Weininger later confirmed its authenticity.
- The $1.35 million sale represents a 33% jump from Abercrombie's previous $1 million auction record set last November at Sotheby's, continuing dramatic market growth from $864,000 in early 2025.
- Freeman's senior vice president Zachary Wirsum said discovery stories create significant buzz, reflecting Abercrombie's evolution from a regional "cult following" to national prominence in the years following her 1977 death.
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A US$30 painting, found in ‘dark corner’ of estate sale, fetches $1.35M at auction
An enigmatic oil painting bought for just $30 at an estate sale fetched more than $1.35 million at auction after it was confirmed to be the work of celebrated surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie.
·Toronto, Canada
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A Painting Bought for $30 at an Estate Sale Just Sold for $1.35 Million at Auction
A small oil painting by Chicago surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie, discovered in a Michigan estate sale and purchased for $30, sold for $1,352,600 at Freeman’s Auctions in New York, setting a new world auction record for the artist.
·New York, United States
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An enigmatic oil painting purchased for just US$30 in a sale of goods reached more than US$1.35 million at an auction after it was confirmed that it was the work of the famous surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie.
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Total News Sources50
Leaning Left4Leaning Right5Center41Last UpdatedBias Distribution82% Center
Bias Distribution
- 82% of the sources are Center
82% Center
C 82%
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