David Bowie painting found near North Bay, Ont., sells for record $108K in auction
A David Bowie painting bought for $5 at a donation centre near North Bay, Ont., has sold for $108,120 at auction.
In a news release Thursday, Cowley Abbott Auction said there was "a bidding frenzy" to buy the artwork by Bowie, who died after a battle with cancer in 2016.
The painting -- entitled D Head XLVI -- was found at the Macher Mall in summer 2020. In November, the person who found it (who is remaining anonymous) contacted Cowley Abbott Fine Art, an art auctioneer in Toronto, to find out more information about the painting.
Once its authenticity was verified, the 1997 painting was put up for auction. Early estimates pegged the selling price at $10,000, but was snapped up by a U.S.-based collector for more than 10 times that amount.
"The sale marks a new global auction record for a work by David Bowie, more than doubling the 2016 sale of a D Head series artwork for £22,500 (approximately $39,000 Canadian) in the United Kingdom," Cowley Abbot said in a news release Thursday.
"Within the first few days, it already set a new record. It continued to garner bids that spiked during the final hours of the auction, drawing ... almost 50 bids from across Canada and as far as Australia."
Rob Cowley, president of Cowley Abbott, said in the release that once word got out that a Bowie painting had been discovered, they were "inundated" with inquiries.
“It’s a phenomenon we call the 'Hollywood effect,' when there is a famous name attached, or when there is an extraordinary set of circumstances such as rarity or human-interest story behind the artwork,” said Cowley said.
“We’ve seen this effect previously with other artworks Cowley Abbott has sold, including a Maud Lewis painting that set an auction record in 2016, the same year Maudie, the biopic movie about Lewis, starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke was released; and with a William Kurelek painting that sold nearly three times its auction estimate for more than $40,000, that was originally gifted by the artist as a thank you for a basket of strudels.”
Valuable art in the most unexpected places
D Head is one of several works of art to recently set an auction record with Cowley Abbott. Another painting also came from northern Ontario from a Muskoka resident – a large-scale canvas by Jack Bush, Column on Browns -- that set a new global auction record for the artist, selling for $870,000.
“Valuable art can be found in the most unexpected places, as well as in your own backyard,” Lydia Abbott, vice-president of Cowley Abbott, said in the release.
“We often come upon an important work of art that has been inherited or has been in a family home for many years without the owners knowing anything about the artist or value of the work.”
For more information about Cowley Abbott, upcoming auctions and appraisals, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Ex-tabloid publisher testifies he scooped up possibly damaging tales to shield his old friend Trump
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
Here's why provinces aren't following Saskatchewan's lead on the carbon tax home heating fight
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
Montreal actress calls Weinstein ruling 'discouraging' but not surprising
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye make it four NFL drafts with quarterbacks going 1-3
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.