Painting bought for $4 at thrift shop identified as David Bowie original

A $4 painting found in a thrift store has been identified as a David Bowie original.

Purchased for $4.09 at a donation center in South River, Ontario, Canada, the art is now up for auction with Cowley Abbott International Art Online Auction.

The very lucky current owner says she wishes to remain anonymous.

It’s expected to be resold for anywhere between $9,000 and $12,000. Other Bowie paintings have fetched as much as $30,000.

https://cowleyabbott.ca/artist/david_bowie

The computer and acrylic collage is titled D Head XLVI, and shows the head of a so far unknown person. It’s part of a series Bowie did of various muses between 1994 and 1997.

“There’s a label on the back and it quite clearly identifies the work, so she of course wondered if it could be authentic,” said Rob Cowley.

Cowley reached out to Andy Peters, “an expert on Bowie’s signature,” to confirm that the work was authentic.

“The sitters ranged from band members, friends, and acquaintances and there were also some self-portraits,” Cowley Abbott spokeswoman Andrea McLoughlin said of the piece. “It has been suggested that, for some of these important paintings, Bowie drew inspiration from the Ziggy Stardust era.

“With long hair and a pronounced profile, this energetic and enigmatic portrait is truly a rare representation from a celebrated artist,” she added.

Cowley says the nature of the find adds to the fun of it all.

“It’s always exciting when a work like this, by a recognized artist, is found in such a place,” he said.

“We were able to identify the fact that the work was quite similar to many of the portraits, these smaller-type portraits from this series that Bowie had produced in the mid-’90s.

“From there, we also reached out to Andy Peters, who is recognized as an expert in David Bowie’s signature and also has a great familiarity with his artwork as well. He quite enthusiastically, and quite quickly, came back to us … and was able to say that, yes, it is an authentic work by the artist.”