https://sputnikglobe.com/20220411/art-found-in-dumpster-by-mechanic-set-to-sell-for-millions--1094659210.html
Art Found in Dumpster by Mechanic Set to Sell for Millions
Art Found in Dumpster by Mechanic Set to Sell for Millions
Sputnik International
Jared Whipple, a car mechanic from Waterbury, Connecticut, discovered an enormous collection of artworks by artist Francis Hines in a dumpster in 2017... 11.04.2022, Sputnik International
2022-04-11T04:14+0000
2022-04-11T04:14+0000
2022-10-19T20:52+0000
discovery
art
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Whipple, 40, said he “immediately started researching” his new treasure trove and learned that the works were created by artist Francis Hines. Hines, born in Washington, DC, in 1920, was famous for his large-scale “wrappings.” Hines’ best known of these public art installations was the Washington Square Arch, which he wrapped in 1980 using white gauze-like material to weave geometric patterns over the large building.Hines died in 2016 at the age of 96. A year later, his work was discovered by George Martin, 47, whose company was hired to clean out a barn and all its contents deemed “abandoned” in Watertown, Connecticut. The barn actually belonged to Hines, and it was where he had stored many of his artworks. To comply with a strict deadline, his estate deemed the barn and its surrounding area “abandoned,” and that's when it was rescued by Martin and Whipple.Whipple says he was intrigued by what his friend had found, as he is a “collector of vintage items, especially anything Harley Davidson or automobile related.” Once he and his friend arrived at the site, he said the experience was “upsetting.”Whipple says that once they began to unwrap the work from plastic, they were stunned by not only the great condition the works were in, but by the quality of the works, too. Whipple, who is a mechanic, appreciated the biomechanical theme of Hines’ paintings, an artist who was deeply engaged with the idea of peoples’ dependence on technology.Now after four years of caring for Hines’ work, including the works proper storage and research -as well as a show of the work in his town of Waterbury last year- Whipple says he is working with curator and art historian Peter Hastings Falk. Falk says the Hines paintings, which are accented with the same fabric he used in his large-scale works, are estimated to be worth $22,000 each, while his drawings are estimated to be $4,500.Whipple and Martin discovered hundreds of abandoned pieces, making the collection potentially worth millions.With permission from Hines’ family who told him to keep the work, Whipple had recently decided to sell some of the collection. He is working alongside the New York City gallery Hollis Taggart, and will display Hines’ work in their Southport location from May 5 to June 11. Other pieces will also be shown at the gallery’s Chelsea location in New York City. Between 35 and 40 pieces of the discovered collection will go to market, but Whipple said he doesn’t plan on selling all of the artworks.“I pulled it out of this dumpster and I fell in love with it,“ Whipple said. “I made a connection with it. My purpose is to get Hines into the history books.”
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discovery, art
Art Found in Dumpster by Mechanic Set to Sell for Millions
04:14 GMT 11.04.2022 (Updated: 20:52 GMT 19.10.2022) Jared Whipple, a car mechanic from Waterbury, Connecticut, discovered an enormous collection of artworks by artist Francis Hines in a dumpster in 2017. Whipple’s friend, who is a contractor, spotted the canvases, which had car parts painted on them. Since the space and its contents were deemed “abandoned,” the two men dug into its contents.
Whipple, 40, said he “immediately started researching” his new treasure trove and learned that the works were created by artist Francis Hines. Hines, born in Washington, DC, in 1920, was famous for his large-scale “wrappings.” Hines’ best known of these public art installations was the Washington Square Arch, which he wrapped in 1980 using white gauze-like material to weave geometric patterns over the large building.
Hines died in 2016 at the age of 96. A year later, his work was discovered by George Martin, 47, whose company was hired to clean out a barn and all its contents deemed “abandoned” in Watertown, Connecticut. The barn actually belonged to Hines, and it was where he had stored many of his artworks. To comply with a strict deadline, his estate deemed the barn and its surrounding area “abandoned,” and that's when it was rescued by Martin and Whipple.
Whipple says he was intrigued by what his friend had found, as he is a “collector of vintage items, especially anything Harley Davidson or automobile related.” Once he and his friend arrived at the site, he said the experience was “upsetting.”
“Upon arrival at the barn we were not able to wrap our heads around what we saw. 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 the landfill,”
recounted Whipple. “It did not sit right with either of us and within minutes we decided that part of the collection should live on.”
Whipple says that once they began to unwrap the work from plastic, they were stunned by not only the great condition the works were in, but by the quality of the works, too. Whipple, who is a mechanic, appreciated the biomechanical theme of Hines’ paintings, an artist who was deeply engaged with the idea of peoples’ dependence on technology.
Now after four years of caring for Hines’ work, including the works proper storage and research -as well as a show of the work in his town of Waterbury last year- Whipple says he is working with curator and art historian Peter Hastings Falk. Falk says the Hines paintings, which are accented with the same fabric he used in his large-scale works, are estimated to be worth $22,000 each, while his drawings are estimated to be $4,500.
Whipple and Martin discovered hundreds of abandoned pieces, making the collection potentially worth millions.
With permission from Hines’ family who told him to keep the work, Whipple had recently decided to sell some of the collection. He is working alongside the New York City gallery Hollis Taggart, and will display Hines’ work in their Southport location from May 5 to June 11. Other pieces will also be shown at the gallery’s Chelsea location in New York City. Between 35 and 40 pieces of the discovered collection will go to market, but Whipple said he doesn’t plan on selling all of the artworks.
“I pulled it out of this dumpster and I fell in love with it,“ Whipple said. “I made a connection with it. My purpose is to get Hines into the history books.”
