Art is a piece of our soul. It is a way to communicate with our innermost being for both the artist and observer. The same piece of art summons diverse emotions depending on the person, their perspective, their experience of life. Some people try to discover the greater meaning behind the colors and the brush strokes while some see nothing but a colorful blob on a canvas.
Teri Horton belonged to the latter category. One fine morning, she was at a thrift store to buy a gift for her friend when she spotted a massive “messy looking” painting. Teri assumed it would be funny to get it for her friend as a joke. What she didn’t comprehend was that this was no ordinary painting and this little joke will change the course of her life forever.
Meet Teri
Teri Horton, 74, is a retired long haul truck driver with an eighth-grade education. She is a feisty, independent, single woman who spent her whole life working in a male-dominated profession. But she loved her job. It is a possibility she went into that job because it suited her personality so well.
Thrift Haul
It was a warm morning in California. Teri was on her way to a thrift store. She was a big fan of thrift stores. It was on her trucking routes when she discovered her love for thrift stores and antique stores. She loved exploring it and finding quirky things for her. This morning, however, she wasn’t going to shop for herself.
Shopping For BFF
Teri was on the mission of buying something for her best friend. She was going through a rough breakup and Terry wanted to buy something that will cheer her up. She thought she will get her a “gag gift”, something to make her laugh.
The Store
Teri pulled up in front of the store. The store was wedged between two tall buildings. The sign was old, some letters had become illegible in the peeling paint. But the window was clear and the objects on exhibit were popping. Teri pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Spotting The Gift
Teri was browsing the store, trying to find something for her friend when her eyes found a massive painting. It had innumerable colorful lines all over the canvas. Teri’s first thought was that it was an ugly-looking painting, it had nothing to look at. But it was exactly this thought that made her buy it.
Haggling For The Painting
Teri thought it will be funny to give this massive weird painting to her friend. It didn’t have a price tag attached to it so Teri approached the counter to ask the man sitting behind it. Without even looking up at her, the clerk said “$8”. Teri didn’t want to spend that much on a gag gift. She challenged him saying she will buy it for $5 only.
Calling The Manager
When the clerk realized that Teri will not budge, he had to call the manager of the store to talk to her. The manager took one look at the painting and said he was okay with selling it for $5. Teri felt great about her little purchase and was giddy with excitement.
Little Present
With the help of workers of the store Teri saddled the painting into her pickup truck. She drove straight to her friend’s house and parked her truck carefully. She walked to the front door and knocked repeatedly with a huge grin on her face. Her friend answered the door with a confused look. Teri told her she got her a “little present” and dragged her to the truck.
Friend’s Reaction
The minute her friend’s eyes rested on the massive painting loaded on Teri’s truck her eyes widened in surprise. Her first thought was “Where am I going to put this thing?” but of course she didn’t want to offend Teri so her reply was, “oh thank you for thinking of me, it’s beautiful. Let’s take it inside.”
Small Door
Both of them got to work. They started the process of taking it inside the house. By the time they reached the door, they were both looking at each other with puzzled expressions. The painting was bigger than the door, it couldn’t pass through.
Coming Clean
Seeing the look on her friend’s face and the situation they were in, Teri decided to come clean. She burst out laughing and told her friend that this was just a prank. She got it as a joke and she wouldn’t be hurt if her friend threw away the painting. She just wanted to make her laugh. To her relief, it worked.
Getting Rid Of It
Now that Teri had come clean and the joke was over, they had to decide how to get rid of the painting because it wouldn’t even fit through the door. They began to think of all the different possibilities. They didn’t want to destroy it, Teri did buy it to make her friend happy, for whatever it’s worth.
Yard Sale
After brainstorming through various ideas, they decided to go with the most obvious one; a yard sale. Teri wanted to make some extra money anyway so she thought this was the best option, I mean who knows she might even make her $5 back!
Setting Up The Yard
Teri and her friend started setting up her yard for the sale. She put the painting in the yard along with some other items she wanted to sell out and waited for someone to make an offer. Many friends and neighbors came to the sale. Teri was positive she might make a few bucks here and there, no more no less.
No Offers
Teri wasn’t surprised when the painting received no attention from any buyer. Nobody made any offers to buy the huge thing. But the sale had just started and people were still coming so there might be somebody who could be interested. Teri waited in hope that someone might still make an offer.
Catching Attention
An art teacher from a nearby college looked at the painting and stopped in his tracks immediately. For some reason, the painting caught his immediate attention. He stepped forward to take a closer look at the massive painting. He stood there for a long while, studying the patterns and running his fingers over the canvas.
Familiar Painting
He couldn’t tell why the painting looked so familiar. He knew he recognizes it from somewhere as if the brush strokes have a weird sense of familiarity to them. But he couldn’t put his finger to it. He tried to jog his memory and recall where it was from.
End Of The Day
It was the end of the day with barely any customers left at the sale. Teri decided to come to terms with the fact that nobody would buy this gigantic painting. She will probably just dump it in her yard and call it a day. Just then, her eyes landed on a man who was standing in front of the painting and observing it closely.
Getting Recognized
Teri walked up to the man, who was lost in the painting. When he finally noticed Teri, he introduced himself and asked her about the painting. Teri told him she got it from a thrift store as a joke. The man said, “I am no expert but there is a chance that this is an original Jackson Pollock.” Teri’s response to this was, “who the f*** is Jackson Pollock?”
Don’t Take Any Chances
The man laughed and told her about the famous painter. Jackson Pollock is one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century. The Museum of Modern Art in New York has an entire room full of his paintings. The man asked her not to take any chances and requested her to not sell the painting without having it evaluated by an art dealer.
Consulting The Art Dealer
Teri found it hard to believe that this painting was created by some famous painter let alone be original. Nevertheless, she decided to take the painting to a famous art dealer. On the drive over, Teri’s mind was going over the various possibilities of how this meeting could go. She was not optimistic though. But to her surprise, the dealer did not dismiss the possibility of the painting being an original.
Art Appraisal
The painting went through several phases of authentication. After analyzing several factors like the type of paint, the age of the canvas, the brush strokes it was concluded that this painting very much could be the original. However, since Teri found it at a thrift store further evidence was needed to prove it. But everything was pointing to one thing, this painting was indeed an original.
Pollock’s Contribution
Jackson Pollock’s work is timeless and breathtaking. There is a reason his work is worth so much money, he changed the way we think of art itself. He may not have a lot of traditionally “pretty” work but it’s his art. All of his artworks are owned by different museums except for one painting.
The Most Expensive Painting
That painting was named “No.5, 1948” which was sold for $140 million. For quite some time, this painting was the world’s most expensive painting. So if Teri’s painting was real, then it was far better than winning any lottery ticket.
The Tonight Show
Before Teni could even wrap her head around this news, the word got around about her painting. To her surprise, she managed to get the attention of the media world. Teri was invited to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The interview was a massive hit and that, in turn, brought more recognition to Teri and the painting.
Who Is Jackson Pollock?
During her interview, Teri mentioned that when she was told that this painting might be an original of Jackson Pollock her response was, “who the f*** is Jackson Pollock”. This response became so famous that she was approached by Warner Bros who wanted to make a full-length documentary about the incident and title it after her response.
Controversy In The Community
The incident of the painting was so remarkable that it took the art world by a firestorm. People were not able to accept that a retired truck driver had come across such a valuable find. There were also a few art collectors who found it hard to believe that the painting was original.
Asking For Proof
People decided they need her to prove that the painting is genuine and original by providing a full history of her ownership. Asking to prove that painting is original or not is not something which is usually required but given the unusual circumstances in which Teri found it, she had to oblige.
Inspecting The Painting
Teri had several other arts specialists come down and analyze the painting. The specialists also believed that it was likely an original because Pollock used to throw out a lot of his art. Plus his brother lived nearby so it might have ended up at goodwill.
Judgemental Critics
Teri was invited to an art gallery by the elite of art institutes who approve art based on their gut feeling. They judged her from the moment she walked in, based on her age and the way she dresses. And they still didn’t believe that it was the original painting.
New Proof
Science was on Teri’s side and provided with new evidence that the artist’s fingerprints were found around the frame of the painting. But the art “experts” were still not convinced. They said, “fingerprints, all this stuff, is kind of that lovely ‘what if’. It is not essential to the heart and artistic soul of the thing, and that painting has no Pollock soul or heart.”
Chaotic Presence
The painting had caused an uproar in the art world. The group was divided into two parts, one which believed Teri and the others who questioned the authenticity of the painting. It felt like this group of “experts” wanted to convince Teri that she did not have the original painting and give it up easily.
Exposing Their Intentions
The experts completely turned around and did something which exposed their true intentions. On the one hand, none of them believed that the painting is original while on the other hand, one of them made Teri an offer for it. Teri realized they unquestionably want that painting for themselves.
The Offer
The offer made for the painting was $2 million. Considering the fact that the painting was an original and would be worth so much more, this offer was simply an insult to Teri. While if they didn’t consider this painting to be an original, why were they ready to pay $2 million for it? If the painting is fake, it should be worth nothing.
Refusing The Offer
Teri felt that by making this offer they were indirectly saying, “Just take these $2 million and go away. We don’t want your low education here.” But Teri was anything but a pushover. She knew how to handle herself and not give in to bullies.
New Information
At last, there was finally some context to how Teri found an original Jack Pollock at a thrift store. A private investigator discovered some new information and evidence regarding the story. Someone had sent the famous No.5, 1948, Pollock’s most expensive painting, to be “repaired” by the artist. And instead of doing that, Pollock just painted a new painting.
The New Offer
It is believed that Teri found the original No.5, 1948 at that thrift shop and bought it for $5. It can be confirmed by the markings in the corner that Pollock was apparently supposed to fix. After this information got around, a new offer was made for the painting. This one stood at $9 million.
Outsmart The Woman
It seemed like these art “experts” were trying to make a fool out of Teri. They were trying to tempt her into accepting a lowball offer assuming she would accept it out of desperation as that kind of money can change her life. They keep saying how they don’t believe it is real yet offer her $9 million for it.
Why The Fuss?
As the word got around about this painting controversy, people began to wonder what the fuss is all about. For something which seems so ordinary, how is it worth millions of dollars? The answer is quite easy. All of Pollock’s paintings in his trademark “drip series” are displayed in various museums. All except the “No. 5, 1948” which was owned by a private collector.
Not For Sale
The paintings in the museums are not for sale so that results in a lack of supply in the market, which ultimately makes this one painting popular and high in demand. This means only an extraordinary price can buy this precious item. Items like these are not only a source of investment but also a status symbol.
Making A Decision
Teri was not going to fall for their tricks and neither stand for the injustice they were doing. Yes, $9 million can indeed change her life but she had decided to not selling the painting. There was only one reason for it and that reason was not money.
Living On A Shoestring
Even though Teri was living in a trailer, she refused to sell the painting. Teri believed it was important to make a point on behalf of all the “general” people out there, that they should not let anyone talk down to them especially not by those people who think they are better than the rest. This was one of the reasons why she chose to not sell it.
Suggestion To Sell
People kept suggesting Teri take the $9 million and be done with the whole thing. But until they make her a reasonable offer Teri will not give it up. It took an amazing amount of strength to reject $9 million but she had a strong reason to not sell it, one that has kept her going all these years.
Pollock Expert
There was one reason that kept her resolution strong even when she could have desperately used financial support. It all started when she first heard the artist’s name from her friend all those years ago. She didn’t know much about him then but over the years, she became an expert about his life and his personality. She read books about him and also watched his interviews.
Man Of Principles
As told by his wife and friends, Teri read that Pollock was willing to fight for what is right. Teri learned that Pollock was a man of principles. He had a really strong sense of right and wrong. He never saw fame in his life, his work only got famous after his time.
Honoring The Artist
One of Pollock’s friends said that he would never sell a canvas for less than what he thought it was worth. Even when he was hungry and could not keep his house warm he refused to sell it to people who were trying to pick it up cheap. Teri learned to honor the spirit of the artist and make sure justice is served.
Twist Of Fate
Through some twist of fate, Teri ended up in the same situation as Pollock where people were trying to buy his work for cheap. She decided to follow in his footsteps and stayed true to his wishes by not selling the painting cheap.
Strong Woman
In the 25 years that have gone by since the incident, Teri is still holding on to the painting. Even when her pension is not quite enough to pay rent, she sometimes resorts to panhandling on the streets to make a difference in her earnings. But even with all these difficulties, she did not trade the painting short of what its worth.
Bidding Farewell
Teri Horton passed away in July of 2019 at the age of 86. Currently, her son has the ownership of the painting. She told him he shall not give away the painting but he may sell it. Her son said that he does not plan on fighting the art world like his mother did but he will sell it for what he seems fit. As of now, there have been no reports of sale.
No comments: