75-year-old Gertrude Abercrombie painting bought for $30 could fetch $250,000

A Michigan collector paid just $30 for a painting at an estate sale, not knowing that the work had been out of public view for about 75 years. The 1951 painting by American Surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie has since been authenticated and is now estimated to sell for $150,000 to $250,000 at Freeman’s New York on October 1.The painting, Alderman Merriam’s Shells, was found earlier this year at an estate sale in Michigan, according to Art Net News. The collector, who usually searches for vinyl records and mid-century furniture, spotted the work in a dark hallway leading towards a garage. A signature reading “abercrombie ’51” caught the collector’s attention, leading to the $30 purchase.The discovery became more significant when the new owner visited the Milwaukee Art Museum’s exhibition Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery.