Buys a painting from a donation center for $5: later saw David Bowie's name on the back and sold it for more than 100,000 at auction

It is not the first time that a collector has obtained an impressive financial return thanks to a mistake. A buyer picked up a painting near a landfill in South River, at a donation center. He paid only five dollars for it. To his surprise, a name on the back would change absolutely everything.

Upon looking at the back of the painting, he saw the name of David Bowie. Automatically, the work went from being unknown to being valued at over $100,000. Later, it was identified as DHead XLVI, an acrylic painting, in 1997. 24 years later, the buyer sold it for 108,120 Canadian dollars, including the buyer's premium.

From five to 100,000 dollars: this is the story of DHead XLVI

A simple acquisition at the donation center had brought him more than $100,000 in profit. Before putting the work up for auction, Cowley Abbott conducted research to determine its provenance and authenticity. To do so, he contacted Andy Peters, an expert in the artist's works. He was responsible for confirming that it was a work by Bowie.

The tests made it possible to link the painting to Bowie’s artistic production during the 1990s. The work, titled DHead XLVI, consists of a collage made with acrylic and computer media on canvas, signed and dated 1997 on the reverse. It is part of the Dead Heads series, also called D Head, created by the musician.

In this collection, Bowie portrayed people from his circle, including friends, acquaintances, and bandmates. Despite its sale, the person the artist portrayed in this DHead XLVI has not been identified. A mystery that has surely contributed to the increase in the work's value.