An ordinary trip to a North Carolina thrift store in 2012 resulted in an unexpected financial windfall for local artist
The canvas sat in her studio for several months until a friend suggested she examine the back of the frame for any identifying marks. This casual advice led to the discovery of the artist's name,
From Goodwill to the Auction Block
The discovery shifted the trajectory of the painting from a discarded item to a significant art-market asset. While Sotheby's initially estimated the value of the work to be between $15,000 and $20,000, the final result exceeded those expectations. During the September 2012 auction, the piece attracted a successful bid of approximately $27,000. With the addition of the buyer's premium, the final sale price reached $34,375.
Feeback, who watched the auction remotely, later noted that the proceeds provided a welcome opportunity to address personal debts and fund long-delayed home improvements. Despite the painting's history, she maintained her artistic focus, joking that she might eventually create new works inspired by the geometric style of the piece she nearly painted over.
The Legacy of Ilya Bolotowsky
Ilya Bolotowsky, who was born in St. Petersburg in 1907 and passed away in 1981, was a prominent figure in the American abstract movement. After immigrating to the United States in 1923, he became a founding member of the American Abstract Artists group. His career was marked by a commitment to geometric abstraction, heavily influenced by the principles of Dutch artist Piet Mondrian.
Throughout his career, Bolotowsky participated in various federal art programs during the 1930s and held teaching positions at several institutions, including Black Mountain College and Brooklyn College. His work gained significant institutional recognition, including a 1974 retrospective at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. The provenance of the painting discovered by Feeback was later linked to the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where it had been on loan from Burlington Industries for an exhibition in 1979. The painting remains a notable example of how significant works can occasionally surface in unexpected retail environments.
