Kanye West is giving himself a present from the past as the art he made in high school is now worth a lot of money. West’s original art portfolio created during his sophomore year attending Polaris High School in Chicago is now valued at $16,000 to $23,000.
The discovery of West’s art collection is all thanks to his cousin’s husband, who featured the pieces on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow.
In April 2019, West’s first cousin’s husband brought a large collection of the rapper’s work for collectibles expert Laura Woolley to appraise.
The five works highlighted included pieces done with graphite, gouache and scratchboard techniques; the collection also featured a flyer for West’s first known art showing from 1995.
“This flyer is really interesting. It gives the full background of his entire artistic training up until that point,” says Woolley.
Woolley then notes that by age 17, West had “already been studying at these extraordinary artistic institutions; my favorite part of this flyer is actually the very end”.
However, Woolley offered a measured appraisal, telling West’s cousin-in-law that while the rapper had extraordinary talent.
She said, “Despite his controversial image, I think that, in time, I would expect these to continue to appreciate.”
“To have early pieces like this from someone who really will be an important cultural figure of our time; I think it is really fantastic,” she says.
Woolley valued the largest piece at about $6,000 to $8,000 and other smaller works ranging from $2,000 to $7,000 each.
“Altogether, just for this grouping, $16,000 to $23,000 at auction,” she says.
