An anonymous donor left a cache of low-rent goodies at the Goodwill store in Easton, MD back in March - including a painting of a Parisian street scene. When the workers noticed it, they set it aside. The store manager Googled it when she returned from vacation and found that it was apparently an authentic painting by none other than 19th-Century artist, Edouard-Leon Cortes.
Cortes was a famous, French Impressionist painter who was born in 1882 and attended Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He came to be known for his Parisian street scenes. While he was appreciated as an artist during his time, the largest collector of his work (who also bid on the painting at auction, but lost) noted his importance has only recently come to light.
The painting was shipped to Sotheby's and deemed authentic. An anonymous bidder purchased it for $40,000. The money went to the Goodwill.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
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