Years ago, I wrote a short story about artwork in a dumpster (and republished here on May 4th), so the mechanic finding millions of dollars of art in the garbage intrigued me.
According to that auto mechanic, Jared Whipple, in late September 2017, a friend called him with a unique find. Jared loved cars — and vintage collectibles. So, when the friend working at an abandoned barn in Watertown Connecticut found large canvases depicting car parts, he figured Jared might want to sift through and grab some of the artwork.
Jared drove on over and found the collection thrown into the dumpster. The wrapped paintings were covered in debris, mold, and…animal feces (link). He states in his blog post: “It was gut-wrenching and very upsetting for us to get to see what looked like a lifetime of somebody’s artwork being thrown into dumpsters and heading for a landfill.” But Jared found, due to the protective wrapping, the pieces were in good condition. And of excellent quality. And so numerous they filled a 2000 square foot storage area.
In the spirit of solving an art mystery (see series), Jared set out to discover who created these impressive works signed “F. Hines” or “Francis Mattison Hines.” To Jared’s, and everyone else’s surprise, the work of Francis Mattson Hines was precious. You may have heard of Hines: He was the artist who weaved the fabric around the Washington Square Arch.
But since that installation happened in the 1980s, Hines’ had lost most of his stardom by his death in 2016 and resulted in his work traveling all the way to a dumpster on its way to a landfill.
Once Jared identified the creator, he began working with the art gallery Hollis Taggart — and discovered the 40 pieces could sell for $4,500 to $22,000.
The garbage was worth millions of dollars.
It’s funny how I sensed this scenario when I wrote my little story about art being thrown away as if it’s similar to a straw wrapper. When I read about Jared’s find, I wondered how often innocent or not so innocent actions discard priceless works. Most of us are aware of the antiques roadshows where an unsuspecting grandchild brings grandma’s teapot for appraisal and is told it’s worth billions. Or the garbage picker garage sale hobbyist purchases the billion dollar trinket for fifty cents.
But how often are art treasures just trashed?
More than you believe — or can stomach. In fact, when I started my search, I anticipated finding one or two incidents similar to Jared’s find. But I discovered more than I can reference in this quick-read Medium article.
The most famous art-trash is that of van Gogh. Many of us know that van Gogh allegedly sold nothing during his lifetime. (Gives a few of us artists pause, doesn’t it? Feel that glimmer of hope that someday your great-grandchildren will be billionaires? Makes you want to have unprotected sex, doesn’t it?) His own mother threw away his work. Tossed it. At least most of our parents have the sensitivity to toss our macaroni pictures and hand print sculptures long after we’ve moved out.
But these stories give me inspiration to dumpster dive. Or switch careers to a sanitation engineer.
A signed Picasso was purchased for $14.14 at an Ohio thrift store. It sold for $6,000.
Art Thief Stephane Breitwieser
In or around 2001, art thief Stephane Breitwieser’s mother, furious at his arrest, tossed his stolen collection. Stephane had been robbing museums for over seven years — in fact, targeting 172 museums in five European countries. Mom’s tantrum resulted in the loss of 109 artifacts — including jewellery, pottery and statuettes to the Rhine River. In the cruelest time-out ever, and with no sense of the value of her destruction, Mireille Breitwieser also cut up paintings of over 60 masters — including work by Boucher, Cranach, Watteau, and Breughel. Of course, police believed Mom was destroying evidence to clear her son. But Mom denies this accusation, insisting she was just furious at her bad boy.
The Cleaning Ladies Don’t Like Branca, Hirsts, or Messy Art
How about in 2014 when the cleaning lady, taking out the trash at an Italian gallery, tossed $15,000 of art? In her defense, the crumpled newspaper, cardboard and cookies scattered on the floor, entitled Display Mediating Landscape, was obviously reffuse.
Looks Like Trash, Mr. Hirsts
Our Italian cleaning lady was not the first diligent employee to take out the trash, not trash. In 2001, the sanitation crew deemed Damien Hirsts installation of beer bottles, coffee cups, and cigarettes trash.
A similar incident happened in 2015 when the cleaning staff found the installation of empty champagne bottles and party poppers — a creation of Sara Goldschmied and Eleonmora Chiari who were commenting on consumerism.
Or what about when a museum guard cleaned up Tracy Emin’s trash-filled “My Bed” exhibit? Helpful. Not helpful.
Or when a Tate employee tossed a bag of paper and cardboard, which was not trash but a work by Gustav Metzger.
Airport Mishap
In 2020, surrealist Yves Tanguy’s $350,000 masterpiece found its way to the bin when left behind by a traveler at the Dusseldorf Airport. (I will forever believe the traveler-owner was spending far too much time in the airport bar.)
Warhol, Too!
Andy Warhol’s sketch, done when he was a ten-year-old boy, was thrown away and purchased at a garage sale for $5. It sold for $2 million. That’s some ROI.
Walking (and digging through garbage) is Good for You
Finds such as this are not as rare as the art they revive from certain destruction. In 2007, Elizabeth Gibson, out for her morning constitutional, discovered Rufino Tamayo’s Tres Personajes tossed in a bin, ready for pick up at the sidewalk. “Antiques Roadshow FYI’s” featured the stolen painting on their Missing Masterpieces segment, Program 115.
How about when professional mover Nick Dimola, responsible to clean out a SoHo apartment, discovered clay pieces later determined to be 2000-year-old Mayan artifacts worth over $16,000?
Gardening Is Lucrative
Perhaps if sanitation engineer or professional mover is not to your liking, you should consider gardening. Gardener Ricci Oddi was clearing ivy from a rusted door and found within a trash bag. He discovered it was not rubbish but Portrait of a Lady by none other than Gustav Klimt. The painting was thought stolen and lost forever.
More Mess
These stories do not even consider art that is purposefully, negligently, or innocently destroyed.
Which makes one wonder: What might you find at your local garage sale? The town thrift market? The alley dumpster?
Might we be too cavalier with what we decide is trash?
