New York art dealer Allen Treibitz was at a barn sale in the Hamptons when he spotted an unusual piece of art and decided to purchase it for $50.
And you know he's an art dealer because anyone else would've looked at this piece and thought $50 was an outrageous price to pay, while Treibitz had an inkling that it was a steal.
Treibitz told Global News,
You could just tell that painting had something special about it besides the fact that it was so legibly signed, which is not often the case with most art that you see. So that helped a little, but it definitely had a look and it was definitely very interesting.
The painting, titled Masset Q.C.I., depicts a grizzly bear on a totem pole ...
...although I personally thought it looked more like a creepy dog wearing a mask.
The painting is from all the way back in 1912, and was created by a well-known Canadian artist, Emily Carr. It is believed to have been a gift from Carr to friends living in the Hampton's in the 1930s. If so, it's remained hanging in their barn still in its original framing for nearly 100 years!
The painting will be sold alongside three of Carr's other paintings at a Canadian auction house next month. This particular piece is expected to sell for somewhere between $100,000 and $200,000.
Not a bad return on investment for a $50 purchase!
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