A public art auction (illustrative photo credit: Michal Fattal /Flash90)
A rare painting of a Jerusalem landscape by Boris Schatz, considered the founder of Israeli art, found in a garbage can in Massachusetts, is going is up for sale in an online auction.
The work, entitled “View of Jerusalem,” has an estimated net worth of between $20,000 and $30,000, and goes up for sale on Monday on Hammersite, an online auction house, with a starting bid of $12,000 listed.
Schatz was turn of the century Israeli artist and founder of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
Auction lot for View of Jerusalem by Boris Schatz (photo credit: screenshot from Hammersite.com)
Known primarily as a sculptor, Schatz painted View of Jerusalem around 1910, four years after he moved to Israel and founded the school.
The painting was found by an amateur artist in a garbage can in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and although he was not familiar with the signature or the artist, he recognized that he had found an original art work that was likely of some value.
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The expert he consulted immediately verified that the painting was valuable, and recognized it as a rare Schatz work.
The landscape is 33 by 58 centimeters, and was done with oil paints. The painting was also relatively unharmed during its stay in the trash, only suffering slight damage to one corner. It is unclear how the work ended up in the trash.
The auction on View of Jerusalem, along with 47 other important works by Israeli and international artists, opens Monday morning.
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