The National Post has the story of a Lawren Harris painting that was bought in a New Zealand flea market for $5 which the owners hope to sell for $20,000 or more next week. David Silcox is Sotheby’s Canada expert on Harris and his work:
The case of the mysterious $5 Harris painting has attracted attention all over the world. While it hasn’t yet been authenticated, Silcox believes the painting is indeed an original Harris, and that it was probably painted sometime around 1915 in Algonquin Park. The artwork of Lawren Harris, who was born in Brantford, Ont., in 1885, has fetched upwards of $70-million in combined sales.
“Harris is one of the top artists in the Canadian art market and a couple of years ago, he and Jean-Paul Riopelle, between them, accounted for 25% of the art market in dollar terms,” says Silcox, mentioning that the painting might receive higher bids if it was auctioned off here at home.
Lawren Harris Painting Found at Flea Market Expected to Fetch $20k (National Post)