Mechanic reaps windfall from art in Connecticut dumpster

Connecticut Public Radio

Published April 10, 2022 at 3:13 PM EDT

WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — A trove of paintings and other artwork found in an abandoned barn in Connecticut has turned out to be worth millions.

Jared Whipple, an auto mechanic from Waterbury, retrieved the pieces from a barn in Watertown in 2017 after a contractor notified him about them. Whipple later found out they were by Francis Hines, an abstract expressionist who died in 2016 at 96.

Hines was renowned for his “wrapping” pieces, in which fabric is wrapped around an object.

Whipple is collaborating with a gallery to exhibit some of the works in Connecticut and New York beginning next month.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca dar a conocer historias latinas y elevar nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Para más información sobre nuestro esfuerzo por conectar con las comunidades latinas, visita  ctpublic.org/latinos/somos-ct