Thomson painting found behind piano
Published on: 02-Nov-2007
A previously undiscovered painting by celebrated Canadian artist Tom Thomson has been gathering cob webs for the last 24 years. It is expected to fetch up to $450,000 at auction in Toronto and was found by accident after the owner asked appraisers to value some china in the home she shared with her mother in Ottawa.
The picture, 'Woodland Interior, Algonquin Park', was painted in 1915 and inherited by Kaileigh Richter in 1983 after her grandmother died.
She randomly selected the bequest because she "really liked the name Tom Thomson".
Explaining how she picked the picture Miss Richter, 34, said: "Just like you'd pick a racehorse."
Although actually unsigned by the artist, Kaileigh's great-grandfather, Thomson's boss, had acquired the painting, signed it and written on the back, 'This sketch was made by Tom Thomson in 1915'.
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