Chicago photographer sells thrift store paintings for $135,000
Paul Beaty purchased two rare Warner Sallman artworks for $220 at a Salvation Army store in 2016.
A Chicago photographer, Paul Beaty, sold two rare artworks by artist Warner Sallman to Colorado author Jerry Jenkins for $135,000 in March 2018, according to a Times of India report citing WTTW Chicago.
Beaty originally purchased the two pieces at a Salvation Army thrift store in February 2016 for a total of $220 after negotiating the price down from $125 per piece.
The collection included an oil painting, which Sallman expert Leroy Carlson appraised at $100,000, and a chalk drawing appraised at $35,000.
Beaty, a freelance photographer, said he recognised the works immediately because he had seen a reproduction of Sallman's 'Head of Christ' painting in a school classroom as a child.
Jenkins, a Christian novelist known for the Left Behind series, purchased the works for the exact appraised value. He noted a personal connection to the artist, as his wife's grandfather had known Sallman personally.
The oil painting was set to travel to Colorado with Jenkins' son the week after the sale, while Jenkins considered donating the chalk drawing to a Christian institution or the Salvation Army in the future.