Shopper paid C$5 for painting; David Bowie original later sold for C$108,120

Sometimes a bargain buy can turn out to be something far more valuable than it first appears. That happened when a shopper picked up a small painting for just C$5 at a donation centre near a landfill in South River, Ontario. The surprise came after the buyer noticed the name David Bowie on the back. According to Cowley Abbott, the auction house that later handled the work, the painting was identified as DHead XLVI, a 1997 acrylic and computer collage on canvas. After its authenticity was confirmed, the painting went to auction in June 2021 and sold for C$108,120, including the buyer’s premium.From a donation centre to an auction roomThe painting had been sitting among unwanted household goods at a donation centre associated with the Machar Township landfill near South River. The shopper spotted the small canvas among the discarded goods and bought it for C$5.