It’s not quite the Picasso found at a yard sale story, but it’s not that far off.
Maud Lewis was born and lived her life in the maritime province of Nova Scotia. She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and lived in relative poverty most of her life.
CBC Archives 1965
She became a painter and sold her rustic, unskilled paintings of Nova Scotia life for a few dollars each.
She died at age 67 in 1970, and like many before her, her artworks with their vibrant colours became sought after as “folk art” after her passing, and also increasing greatly in value, to the tune of many thousands of dollars each.
A year ago, somebody dropped one of her paintings in the donation box of a thrift shop run by the Mennonite Central Committee of New Hamburg Ontario.
Researching the painting showed it was Maud Lewis’ Portrait of Eddie Barnes and Ed Murphy, Lobster Fisherman, Bay View, Nova Scotia
The find made headlines and the MCC said it would be auctioned off to raise money for the charity.
The original estimated value was $16,000, but it went for $45,000.
At one point the auction had to be delayed due to a fake bid of over $100,000.
A recent biopic about Maud Lewis’ life called simply “Maudie” has been filmed starring Ethan Hawke and Sally Hawkins. It has received rave reviews since it opened last week in Canadian theatres.
Additional information – sources
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