Mechanic finds trove of paintings and other artwork worth millions in an abandoned barn

Jared Whipple, a mechanic in Connecticut found several paintings and artwork worth millions in an abandoned barn.

The Hearst Connecticut Media Group reported that the trove included several art pieces by Francis Hines, who used his work in the barn.

His work was compared with Christo and Jeanne-Claude, famous for wrapping installations around Europe, including the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

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Hines was an abstract expressionist whowrapped more than 10 buildings in New York including the Washington Square Arch, JFK Airport, and the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He died in 2016 when he was 96 years old.

Whipple told the news outlet that “I pulled it out of this dumpster and I fell in love with it.”

“I made a connection with it. My purpose is to get Hines into the history books.”

After finding the items hecontacted the artist’s family. Whipple said that allowed him to keep and sell the art.

He told CT Insider,“I’ve always been a mechanic and I’m known in the skateboarding world but not in the art world. So trying to get people to even open your emails and take you seriously was a huge challenge.”

Historian Peter Hastings Falk said that the hundreds of pieces of art retrieved by Whipple can be sold at around $22,000 apiece and his drawings at around $4,500.

“Hines is really New York’s wrapper,” saidHastings Falk.

Whipple is going to auction them at Hollis Taggart, a New York City-based gallery. It will exhibit the items in New York and Connecticut next month.

(With inputs from agencies)