$50 Hamptons barn find turns into C$290k: Lost 1912 Emily Carr sells big

A dusty barn sale in the Hamptons is not where most people expect to encounter a significant work of Canadian art. Yet that is exactly where New York-based art dealer Allen Treibitz found a painting that would eventually sell for hundreds of thousands of Canadian dollars. Bought for just $50, the canvas was later authenticated as a 1912 work by Emily Carr, one of Canada's most celebrated artists. The discovery turned an overlooked painting into one of the more remarkable bargain finds to reach the auction market in 2024, states Canadian Press report.An unexpected find in the HamptonsTreibitz came across the signed canvas while browsing a barn sale in the Hamptons. At the time, he was not particularly familiar with Carr or the significance of her work, but something about the painting stood out among the objects surrounding it.