An unsuspecting Minnesota shopper got more than she bargained for after picking up a cool-looking painting at Goodwill – before learning that it was actually worth thousands of dollars.
Realtor Lydia Kauppi, 37, of Minneapolis, was browsing at her local thrift store when she came across a green abstract painting featuring flowers and lines.
Kauppi liked it so much, despite its ‘ugly’ frame, that she took it home and kept it proudly displayed on her wall for three years.
The piece set her back a mere $8, but after doing some leisurely digging, Kauppi claimed she discovered that the painting was actually made by Twin Cities artist Jerry Rudquist, meaning its price tag was significantly higher than she had thought.
Rudquist, whose glittering career spanned four decades, has his artwork proudly displayed in the State Department. The well-known artist was an integral member of the national art community, the agency said.
After his death in 2001, he was considered one of the Midwest’s most significant artists.
‘I just discovered that it’s the actual freaking painting,’ Kauppi said on X, without revealing how she verified it.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Kauppi for comment.
Lydia Kauppi, 37, of Minneapolis, unknowingly thrifted a Jerry Rudquist painting three years ago
Recently, she discovered who the true artist was and that the print was actually a painting. She thrifted it for $8 and Rudquist’s paintings go between $500 and $3,500
Rudquist’s paintings fetch anywhere between $500 and $3,500 a piece, according to the Groveland Gallery.
It is unclear if Kauppi plans to sell the beautiful piece or keep it on display in her home.
The mother said she mistook the painting for a print and has since placed it behind a glass frame.
‘In my defense, the canvas has a clean taped white edge that really looks like a print margin, so I just thought it was a print of some famous art I was unfamiliar with,’ she wrote in the comment section under her post.
Her next step is to have it professionally assessed to see whether it needs reframing and any restoration, she said.
Rudquist lived most of his life as a teaching artist, according to his daughter, Monica. The artist lived in St Paul and worked at Macalester College for 42 years before retiring in 2000.
Rudquist spent his years as a teaching artist, working at Macalester College for 42 years, while also creating art. At the time of his death, he was considered one of the Midwest’s most significant artists
Throughout his career, he showed his work across the country and had solo exhibitions at the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Rourke Gallery and Kilbride Bradley Gallery, among others.
In addition to the State Department, his work is also featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Chicago Art Institute, among others.
