Additional Coverage:
- ‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest says ‘I am too old’ after hearing the value of his 20-year-old painting (marketrealist.com)
A lucky “Antiques Roadshow” guest received a pleasant surprise when his Helen LaFrance painting was appraised for considerably more than he initially paid. The guest, who purchased the piece for $1,500 because he’d heard Oprah Winfrey collected LaFrance’s work, was stunned to learn its current auction value is between $8,000 and $10,000.
He explained to appraiser Aaron Payne that he was drawn to the painting’s depiction of a rural scene reminiscent of his travels with his mother in the 1950s and 60s. Payne provided background on LaFrance, a Kentucky native with no formal art training who began painting full-time in her late 60s and lived to be 101. He described her work as “memory paintings,” naive in style with simple blocks of color, depicting scenes from her rural Kentucky upbringing.
Payne noted LaFrance’s rising prominence, particularly after a documentary about her life, and the increasing interest from major collectors and museums. He attributed the painting’s surge in value in part to the artist’s passing in 2020.
Upon hearing the appraisal, the guest exclaimed, “Wow! Okay, Good deal.
I am too old!” adding with a chuckle that he had another LaFrance painting at home.