I was delighted to tell this couple the print they had picked up for less than the price of a pizza was the work of the most celebrated figurative artist of the 20th century.
— Will Gilding
A British couple bought an £18,000 print for £12, only because they liked the frame that came with it.
They bought a lot of two picture frames for £12 one day, and were given the print, attached to two pieces of cardboard, because it was part of the lot.
The husband decided to use the cardboard as a drip-pan while he worked on his motorcycle, and tossed the print aside.
But it suddenly appeared one afternoon on the BBC show Secrets of the Museum.
The gleeful couple contacted auctioneer Will Gilding, who verified the print's authenticity and set its price at £18,000—a lot of dough for the price of a pizza.
The original etching would cost millions, Gilding says.
The lucky couple's print goes on auction in November.
Lucian Freud, grandson of Sigmund, is best known for fiercely realistic portraits of friends and family members, who often sat months on end for the finicky artist.
The couple's print depicts Freud's assistant, the artist David Dawson.
NOTE: £18,000 equals US$24,800.
