Shockingly, this stunning piece was found flaking and dingy in the garbage! An inept attempt was made to “restore” it that involved an abundant application of wax to hold the painting together and a wipe with solvent to remove part of the dirt.

The Dumpster Diver who discovered the painting donated it to a collector who recognized that under the disaster of flaking paint, wax, and grime, there was a valuable vintage piece.  Some research and careful examination yielded the title and date: “The Discussion” from 1929.  This discovery prompted the collector to contact us for a closer examination and professional conservation treatment.

Once the painting was cleaned, FACL found the artist Pruett Carter’s signature in the lower right corner.  This is a well-known illustrator and finding this information added value to a piece that had been thought to be worthless garbage.  Once the conservation work is completed, the piece will look spotless and will be once again transformed into a work of art

FACL recommends you get an professional appraisal before you throw out any works of art, because many pieces can be restored to have significant monetary and historical value.

This vintage piece was found in a dumpster with unfortunate flaking and grime.