A Connecticut mechanic and skateboard fan helped find a ton of abandoned art pieces at a barn five years ago—and now they could fetch millions of dollars. Jared Whipple told CT Insider that he was contacted by a friend who thought Whipple would like the dozens of pieces, a mix of paintings and drawings. After further research, Whipple found out the pieces were done by Francis Hines, an artist famously known as “New York’s wrapper” before his 2016 death. Whipple used that knowledge to collaborate with art exhibitioner Hollis Taggart to display and sell 35 to 40 of Hines’ pieces, many of which could sell for over $22,000 each. “I’ve always been a mechanic and I’m known in the skateboarding world but not in the art world,” Whipple said. “So trying to get people to even open your emails and take you seriously was a huge challenge.” The sale, Whipple hopes, will get Hines’ name further recognized. “My purpose is to get Hines into the history books,” he said.
