Consult Professional Conservation Services Before Getting Rid of Art

Amazingly, this vintage piece was found flaking and filthy in the garbage! Then the dumpster diver who found the item, who obviously thought it wasn’t worth much, gave it to a restorer who made a inept attempt to do a “restoration.”  This consisted of an abundant application of wax to hold the painting together, and a wipe with solvent to remove the dirt.

The person who found the painting gave it to a collector who recognized that under the chaos of flaking paint, wax, and dirt, a vintage painting gleamed. Some research and closer examination revealed the title and date: “The Discussion” from 1929. This discovery encouraged the collector to contact FACL (8055 64 3438)  for a closer examination and professional conservation treatment.

Once the painting was cleaned, we discovered the famous illustrator Pruett Carter’s signature in the lower right corner. This finding added significant value to a piece that the original owner thought to be worthless. Once the conservation work is completed, the piece will look immaculate and will be, once again, a quality artwork.

FACL recommends you get an appraisal before you dispose of any works of art, because many pieces can be restored to have significant historical and monetary value. Flaking, dirty and thrown in the garbage, this trash turned out to be real treasure.

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