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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.
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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.”
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“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.