Marcus Chen
In 1992, 76-year-old truck driver Teri Horton purchased a painting from a thrift store for $5. After being informed by a teacher that it may be a Jackson Pollock painting, Horton set out on a mission to authenticate the painting. Despite facing scepticism from art dealers due to a lack of provenance, Horton persisted, even going as far as fabricating a story about the painting's origin. Horton eventually sought the help of forensic medicine specialist Peter Paul Biro to prove the painting's authenticity. The painting, which Horton initially considered ugly, was later valued at $50 million.
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What You'll Learn
Teri Horton bought the painting for $5
In 1992, Teri Horton, a 73-year-old former truck driver, bought a painting from a thrift store for $5. The painting was an abstract piece, which she and her friend considered ugly. However, when the painting proved too large to fit through the door of her friend's trailer, they decided to sell it at a garage sale. It was here that a local art teacher suggested that the painting might be the work of Jackson Pollock.
Intrigued, Horton set out to educate herself about Pollock and his work. She met with art dealers and called galleries, determined to prove that the painting was a Pollock. However, she soon encountered the issue of provenance, which every art dealer told her was essential for authentication. Provenance refers to the list of previous owners of a work of art and how it changed hands over the years.
Undeterred, Horton fabricated a story to establish provenance for her painting. She claimed that the painting had been given to her by a local bartender named Pops, who had recently passed away. According to Horton's story, Pops had received the painting during a night of drunken revelry with Pollock and his famous friends, including John Wayne and Joan Crawford.
Horton's persistence in pursuing the authentication of the painting and her unconventional methods for establishing provenance drew the attention of Tod Volpe, an ex-convict art dealer. Volpe formed an investment company with the sole purpose of authenticating and selling Horton's painting. Despite her efforts, many American experts remained sceptical of the painting's authenticity, and Horton eventually agreed to sell the painting abroad.
The story of Teri Horton and her quest to prove the authenticity of the $5 painting she believed to be a Jackson Pollock was documented in the film "Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?".
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Horton tried to authenticate the painting
Teri Horton, a 73-year-old truck driver, purchased a painting from a thrift store for $5. Initially, she believed the painting was ugly and considered using it as a target for dart games. However, when the painting was too large to fit through the door, she decided to sell it at a garage sale. A local art teacher noticed the painting and told her that it resembled the work of Jackson Pollock. Horton, unfamiliar with the artist, began to educate herself about Pollock and his work. She also met with various art dealers and called galleries in an attempt to prove that the painting was indeed a Pollock.
However, she encountered a significant obstacle: the concept of provenance. Art dealers informed her that proving the list of previous owners of the artwork and how it changed hands over the years was essential for authentication. Undeterred, Horton created a story to establish provenance for the painting. According to her new narrative, the painting was given to her by a local bartender named Pops, who had received it from Jackson Pollock during a night of drunken revelry.
Horton contacted the London gallery Tate Britain to authenticate the painting, but many American experts remained sceptical about the use of forensic science to prove its authenticity. As a result, Horton decided to sell the painting abroad, expressing her disappointment in the American art world and stating her preference for a buyer from another country. The painting was eventually displayed at Gallery Delisle in Toronto, Canada, with a price tag of $50 million.
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Horton was met with resistance from American experts
Teri Horton, a 73-year-old truck driver, purchased a painting from a thrift store for $5. She initially intended to give the painting to her friend, but it was too big to fit through their door. After learning that the painting may have been created by Jackson Pollock, an American artist famous for his "drip paintings," Horton sought to authenticate it as a Pollock. However, she faced resistance from American experts who were sceptical of using forensic science to prove the painting's authenticity.
Horton's journey to authenticate the painting was not an easy one. She encountered the concept of "provenance," which refers to the list of previous owners of a work of art and how it changed hands over the years. Dealers told her that proving provenance was essential for authentication. Undeterred, Horton created her own provenance for the painting, claiming that it was given to her by a local bartender named Pops, who had received it from Pollock himself during a night of drunken revelry.
Horton even contacted the London gallery Tate Britain to authenticate the painting. After forensic medicine specialist Peter Paul Biro confirmed that the painting was indeed a Pollock, Horton began approaching potential buyers. However, she faced resistance from American experts who did not accept the use of forensic science for authentication. Horton decided to sell the painting abroad, expressing her disappointment with the American art world.
Horton's persistence in having the painting authenticated as a Pollock and her unconventional methods for proving its provenance highlight the challenges of attributing artwork to a specific artist. The resistance she faced from American experts underscores the importance of traditional authentication methods and the scepticism surrounding the use of forensic science in the art world. Despite the obstacles, Horton remained determined to sell the painting and generate interest from potential buyers, even if it meant offering it for sale outside of the United States.
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Horton sold the painting abroad for $50 million
Teri Horton, a 76-year-old American pensioner and former truck driver, purchased a painting from a thrift store in San Bernardino, California, for five dollars. She initially intended the painting as a gift for a friend, but her friend could not fit the artwork into her trailer, so Horton put it in a garage sale. An art teacher in town noticed the painting and remarked that it looked like a Jackson Pollock.
Horton's 15-year struggle with the skeptical art world began. She contacted experts and auction houses, but they did not want to be associated with her case. She then appealed to the forensic medicine specialist Peter Paul Biro, who claimed he could determine the authenticity of works based on fingerprint data. After Biro proved that the painting was a real Pollock, Horton began to besiege potential buyers. However, many American experts did not believe that the authenticity of the work could be proven with forensic science.
Horton refused an offer of $9 million from a Saudi Arabian buyer, saying she would not accept anything less than $50 million. She eventually sold the painting abroad for $50 million. Despite the economic crisis, Horton and the owner of the Gallery Delisle in Toronto, Michelle Delisle, were confident that the painting would find a buyer. Horton's story has been made into a documentary film called "Who the #!@$ is Jackson Pollock?".
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The painting was one of Pollock's drip paintings
In 1992, Teri Horton, a 73-year-old former truck driver, purchased a painting from a thrift store in Los Angeles for $5. She bought the painting for a friend who thought it was ugly and had no space for it in her trailer. Horton and her friend considered using it as a target for dart games but ended up placing it in a garage sale. It was here that a local art teacher told her that it could have been painted by Jackson Pollock.
Horton then embarked on a mission to have the painting authenticated as a Pollock so that she could sell it for a profit. She contacted various art dealers and galleries and even got in touch with London's Tate Britain gallery. However, she struggled to prove the painting's provenance—the list of its previous owners and how it had changed hands over the years. In response, she invented a story about how she had acquired the painting from a local bartender named Pops, who had received it from Pollock himself during a night of drunken revelry.
Horton eventually partnered with an ex-convict art dealer, Tod Volpe, who formed an investment company to authenticate and sell the painting. Despite skepticism from American experts about the use of forensic science to prove its authenticity, Horton managed to generate interest from potential buyers, including abroad. She stated that she would prefer a buyer from another country since she felt that Americans did not appreciate the painting's worth. The painting, one of Pollock's drip paintings, was offered for sale for $50 million at Gallery Delisle in Toronto, Canada.
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Frequently asked questions
The $5 Jackson Pollock painting was bought by Teri Horton, a 73-year-old truck driver, at a thrift store for $5 (bargained down from $8). She then tried to have it authenticated as a Pollock and sold for $50 million.
She bought the painting for her friend, who needed cheering up, and because she loves a bargain.
The painting was too large to fit through the door of her friend's trailer, so they considered using it as a target for dart games. Eventually, they placed it in a garage sale.
A local art teacher told her that the painting could have been painted by Jackson Pollock. Intrigued, she educated herself about Pollock and set out to prove that he may have painted the canvas.
It is unclear whether she was able to sell the painting for $50 million. She received some low-ball offers from private collectors, and eventually turned to Tod Volpe, an ex-convict art dealer, for help.
