Antiques Roadshow guest shocked after painting revealed as a Hockney
Antiques Roadshow guest is stunned to learn a painting owned by his family for 65 years is a signed David Hockney original – and you won’t believe how much it’s worth!
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left dumbfounded after his painting was revealed to be a signed David Hockney original worth £30,000.
Art expert Rupert Maas confirmed the painting was a Hockney and called it an ‘extraordinary story’ on the BBC show near Belmont House, near Faversham in Kent.
The unnamed guest said the painting had been in his family for 65 years and he suspected it was by the famous artist.
But after estimating its worth to be £10,000, the guest was shocked when its true value was found to be between £20,000 and £30,000.
‘I think you might be right, but it’s closer to £20,000 to £30,000,’ said Rupert, as he established how much the painting was worth.
Gasp: The guest on Antiques Roadshow, near Belmont House in Kent, couldn’t believe it when the value of his painting was confirmed
Examination: Art expert Rupert Maas (pictured) realised Hockney had been in the area at the time and couldn’t afford colourful paint which is why it didn’t look like his typical paintings
The guest repeated him in disbelief, his voice trailing off at the end: ‘£20,000 to £30,000!’ before he ducked behind the painting.
‘Just say thank you’, called a person behind him as the rest laughed.
‘Thank you for that information. Thank you very much,’ he said as he managed to compose himself.
David Hockney, now 85, is now considered to be one of the most influential British Artists of the 20th century, painting in the style of the pop-art movement of the 1960s. His paintings can be worth millions of pounds.
His most famous works include A Bigger Splash (1967) and Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures) (1972), which sold for $90million (£74,000) in 2018, the third highest ever paid for an artwork by a living artist.
Portraying a pastel green landscape, trees and hedges with a wobbly signature in the corner, Rupert said the painting did not initially look to be in Hockney’s typical vibrant style.
The main question was to establish whether it was really a Hockney.
After some research the art expert discovered that Hockney had been in the area at that time with his fellow Bradford Art College student John Loker.
Disbelief: The guest repeated the amount in shock, before he ducked behind the painting to process the news
Signed: The painting had a wobbly signature from the artist, which led to it being brought on the show
‘Extraordinary story’: Rupert and the guest were amazed at the new information about the artist’s young life
Icon: David Hockney, now 85, is now considered to be one of the most influential British Artists of the 20th century
Influential: Hockney’s most famous works include A Bigger Splash, left, (1967) and Portrait Of An Artist (Pool With Two Figures), right, (1972)
He said that its unusual qualities actually made it less likely to be a fake, and that the simple green paint used was actually because the artist didn’t have much money at that time.
He called it a ‘sparkling revelation’ into Hockney’s early life as the painting was revealed to be a valuable piece of juvenilia.
The guest’s grandfather, Wallace, had originally bought the painting in 1957 while working as a signalman near Felixstowe in Suffolk.
He invited Hockney and his friend into the signal box for a cup of tea and bought a painting off each of them. A year later Hockney won the gold medal from the Royal College of Art.
The painting was then kept in the family for decades before his grandson decided to take it on the show.
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