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Robyn Twomey Bargain hunter: Horton paid $5 for a painting that couldbe worth millions.
It could be the most stunning thrift-shop find ever. In 1992, a retired long-haul trucker paid $5 for a paint-splattered canvas she spotted at a junk store near San Bernardino, California. When Teri Horton showed her purchase to an art-teacher friend, she heard the name Jackson Pollock for the first time. It turns out Pollock's brother had lived in the area and may have given away some of his famous sibling's work. Her discovery started an art-world detective story that continues to this day – and that only science may be able to resolve.
The first real break in the case came in 2001, when Montreal-based forensic art specialist Peter Paul Bir� discovered a faint fingerprint on the back of the canvas. He used imaging software to render it in 3-D, then compared it to a Pollock fingerprint from the artist's studio. They matched. Bir�'s conclusion: "It is exactly what it appears to be – a poured painting by Jackson Pollock." A canvas of similar size and from the same period (1947-1949) sold in 1989 for $11.5 million.
But the art world isn't buying it. Last summer, a panel of experts from the nonprofit International Foundation for Art Research declined to authenticate the canvas. Without knowing its provenance – a verified history of a work's progression from one owner to the next – they can't be sure Horton's find is legit.
The next step: DNA analysis. Though Bir� collected hair samples from the work and Pollock's studio for comparison, Horton has run out of money and patience. "These people in the art world have tired me out," says Horton, 70. "If only I had found something mediocre, I could've sold it a long time ago." In April, she began negotiating with a private investor who's interested in DNA testing. The results could decide once and for all whether the painting belongs in a museum or a thrift shop.
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