Le Pho La Cueillette des Pommes Cannelle Oil, ca. 1950
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GUEST:
I'm a lifelong thrifter, and I thrift when I'm stressed. And I thrift everything. I'm an occupational therapist in a level-one trauma hospital.
APPRAISER:
Wow.
GUEST:
And, uh, work on, uh, rehabbing people with catastrophic injuries. And one Saturday morning, it had been kind of a stressful day at work. I was at Goodwill first thing in the morning, and I kind of saw, in the painting section, I noticed there was a little plaque here, which is like what you would see in a museum. So I thought it looked like a real painting, and I picked it up and put it in my cart.
APPRAISER:
And when was that?
GUEST:
About two years ago.
APPRAISER:
So, pandemic time.
GUEST (breathes deeply): Yes.
APPRAISER:
Working in a hospital, yeah.
GUEST:
I work in a hospital, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Is highly stressful, God.
GUEST:
It was pretty stressful, yes.
APPRAISER:
Amazing.
GUEST:
I mean, I thrifted before that, but then it kind of was, like, my therapy.
APPRAISER:
So what did you actually pay for this painting?
GUEST:
Uh, $15.99.
APPRAISER:
So, Le Pho was born in North Vietnam in 1907. Vietnam was French-occupied at the time. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts there, the School of Fine Arts...
GUEST:
Yep.
APPRAISER:
...and ultimately went to Paris and studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He had three very distinct periods. His early work is very nostalgic, very lush landscapes. His Paris period, he starts to do family subjects.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And this dates from what's called his Findlay period.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
Probably made in the 1960s.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And it's more broadly painted, impressionistic. He had gone back to Vietnam to teach art and ultimately went back to Paris, where he was discovered by the gallerist Wally Findlay. The frame is original to the piece.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
This was styled by Findlay Galleries for almost every work by Le Pho.
GUEST:
Okay. I saw there was a sticker from a gallery on the back, mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Yes. That gallerist promoted the artist, really made him famous. And still to this day, they handle the estate of the artist.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
The artist died in Paris in 2001. So he lived a very long life.
GUEST:
Oh, that's a long time, okay.
APPRAISER:
The title of the painting is Cueillette des Pommes Cannelle, which translates to "cinnamon apple picking." The artist signed it in the lower right, and it's an oil on board. The painting is a standard size for the artist. There are some that come on the market that are much smaller. But this is really the most desirable. This period is highly desirable...
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
...because this is the period that the gallery promoted. Works of this scale generally sell in the $60,000 to $80,000 range at auction.
GUEST:
(exhales slowly) (laughing): Dang-- wow. Did you hear that? That's a lot-- wow. (laughing) What am I gonna do with it? (both laugh) $80,000.
APPRAISER:
It's... It's a significant find.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
That's amazing. Thank you. (both laugh) 60 to 80... (exclaims) Never thought I would find something that valuable. That's amazing.
APPRAISER:
If you were to insure it...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
...you'd probably want to insure it for closer to $100,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my God! (laughs) Wow. It's just been hanging over my bed. Wow. Okay. (laughs)
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