Art blogger Robjn bought more than 30 paintings during a ‘trolley dash’ at an auction house in the east of England back in 2020, hunting for lost treasures.
Among his finds, he was particularly excited to pick up a painting by Vera Cunningham — which came bundled with another piece, a sort of by-product — for just £35.
But on the latest episode of the BBC’s Fake or Fortune, Robjn was stunned to discover that the so-called ‘by-product’ is actually a forgotten original by Frances Hodgkins, worth around £50,000.
‘I did wonder if it was the painting of a schoolchild when I first saw it,’ he told Metro. ‘I didn’t really think much of it, just shoved it into an air-conditioned barn, and it went into my storage area to be forgotten.’
The picture in question is almost certainly a missing painting called October Landscape, once exhibited at London’s Lefevre Gallery in 1943.
It later became part of the Hertfordshire Pictures for Schools collection — an initiative aimed at displaying real works by real artists in schools, rather than reproductions or prints, to encourage a post-war generation to appreciate art and make it accessible to all children, not just the elite.
Robjn writes a blog about the paintings he’s purchased from this collection and had previously attributed the piece to Vera Cunningham, describing it simply as a ‘garden scene.’
Later, he received an email from a reader who insisted the painting was actually by Hodgkins and urged him to investigate. Luckily, Robjn took their advice.
Fake or Fortune, hosted by Fiona Bruce and renowned art dealer Philip Mould, follows members of the public who suspect they might be sitting on a hidden treasure.
It’s a total lottery — some leave disappointed, while others, like Robjn, discover they own a valuable original, in this case, by one of the most revolutionary female artists of the 20th century, whose work was once exhibited alongside that of Pablo Picasso.
5 Tips to Find a Fortune
Here are five top tips for any budding art dealers out there courtesy of Fake or Fortune’s own Phillip Mould…
Look at the back of a picture
The back can often tell you more than the front – I’m talking about labels, I’m talking about auction history, what people might have inscribed or written on something. That’s one of the ways that you can be led to an interesting artist.
Where has the picture come from?
Was your great-granddad known to have collected art? Was he someone with an eye? Or did he just pick up what was closest to him and bang it on the wall?
Google around
I know it’s an obvious thing to say, but all contributors have normally gone online and Googled the artist before they get to us. If you’ve got an artist’s name or a potential artist name, look to see other works by that artist. Just use your own eye, compare what you’re looking at with what you’re seeing on the screen.
Be aware that fakers will sometimes base a work exactly on a known painting in the public domain. Ask yourself that question, ‘Am I actually being duped by a replica of something that the Faker or a faker has seen?’
Phone a friend
Get advice from someone who knows or ask a regional auction House. Regional houses are now doing better than they ever have before. You could always walk something around to a regional auction house and get a view. They might or might not be able to tell you the answer, but you’re looking at people who’ve seen so much that they carry wisdom.
Fake or Fortune
Finally, once you think you might have something interesting, there is, of course, another way to find out, and that is to contact Fake or Fortune.
For now, though, Robjn is adamant that his rare gem isn’t for sale. In fact, it’s not even on the wall.
‘It’s sat behind a pile of other pictures,’ he says, slightly sheepish. ‘The problem with buying things at auction is it’s quite addictive. You find other pieces that interest you, and you just bounce from one level of interest to the next. So somewhere, behind a load of artists of the period, she’s there — on the floor.’
‘My walls are starting to resemble that old-fashioned Stella Artois ad set — just pictures everywhere. But it’ll go up, eventually.’
We’re joined by Mould, who describes Robjn as a ‘discerning hoarder’.
‘You’re not myopically hoarding, but you do it with discernment, and you have a great eye.’ He tells Robjn. ‘The reason that Robin has so many pictures is because he is a buyer who will take risks online and end up with just one painting in a knot, but a clutch.’
As we speak, no one knew Robjn had embarked on such an extraordinary adventure — he hadn’t told a soul about the discovery or the journey it took to get there.
Authenticating the painting required an international team of investigators. Though largely forgotten in the UK, Hodgkins has seen a resurgence in her native New Zealand, where Mould notes she is considered ‘one of their most important artists of the mid-20th century.’
It was there that a copy of the painting was sent, and a team of experts confirmed emphatically that Robjn’s find is indeed a genuine Hodgkins — and the long-lost October Landscape.
Despite having uncovered many treasures in his time, Mould called this discovery particularly thrilling. ‘I was licking my lips to get involved with an artist who already really excited me. This was bold and head-turning, technically skilled, clearly old — and all of that put together means I’m interested.’
The process took weeks, but Robjn was so busy finishing a book about the Pictures for Schools scheme that he joked, ‘A bomb could have gone off outside my house and I wouldn’t have cared.’
Even as the show’s conclusion approached, Robjn remained cautious.
‘I’m a pessimist by nature, so if you start with the idea that it’s never going to work out, then you’re never going to be disappointed,’ he says.
‘Since filming, I’ve forgotten about it, really. For many viewers, the show is all about wealth — but I bought the painting in 2020, and I’ve got to the end of this journey. To have it authenticated after trying for all those years is worth more than the value.’
Fake or Fortune? continues on August 11 at 9 pm on BBC1.
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