An Antiques Roadshow guest was gobsmacked after discovering the value of a collection of Kanye West's teenage artwork. In a 2020 episode across the Atlantic, one visitor presented art created by the now-famous musician in 1995.
The works included a black and white self-portrait featuring horns and chains, verdant forest scenes, an abstract face, and a sketch of a woman. The artworks were passed down to Kanye's first cousin-in-law when her husband received them from Kanye's mother Donda, who tragically died in 2007.
Accompanying the pieces was a brief biography highlighting the then 17 year old future rapper as a "graduate and artist extraordinaire". The bio shed light on his educational journey at several schools and his early ambitions to become a music producer.
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Kanye dropped out of college three years later to chase his musical dreams, although he was eventually honoured with an honorary doctorate from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This accolade was stripped in 2022 following Ye's anti-Semitic remarks.
Art specialist Laura Woolley was struck by the star's artistic prowess, remarking: "What really attracted me to these pieces was the fact that a lot of people are probably not aware of how talented he is an artist outside his music career," reports the Express.
"These pieces demonstrate an extraordinary facility as an artist. It's an interesting thing when you look at the art that's done by a celebrity... the values rise and fall along with the popularity of the celebrity. To have early pieces like this from someone who really will be an important cultural figure of our time is really fantastic."
The paintings – once snapped up for a measly $12 to $15 each – are now expected to command anything between £16,000 to £23,000. The current owner couldn't suppress his joy upon discovering the valuation even though the star involved is often embroiled in "controversies".
Over the moon with the figures, he proclaimed: "Wow! That's awesome". Back in 2021, Vinoda Basnayake, connected to one of Kanye's gigs in 2005, became the owner of the coveted artwork. The exact price he paid remains under wraps due to confidentiality terms.
Vinoda finds himself dodging brokers eager to link him with the rapper but remains sceptical. Regarding the purported links, he remarked: "It's sort of like, 'Oh, I know Kanye. Do you want me to connect you? I'm just going to take 10%'. You just never know.
"I've got a ton of those, a ton of those inflows, but I haven't got directly contacted by either of them. Like I said, I'm an admirer of the art. I'm an admirer of very, very talented artists, and if Kanye wants the pieces, he has every right to have them."
