Kanye West has always fancied himself a well-rounded artist with talents in creative outlets other than just music. Kanye’s teenage collection of paintings was sold by his cousin earlier in 2021 and is now in the hands of a private collector named Vinoda Basnayake, according to Page Six.
Yeezy’s unnamed cousin allegedly received the closet of paintings and drawings as part of the estate after Kanye’s mother, Donda West, passed away in 2007.
“Kanye’s cousin owned the trove, which was created by Kanye during his days as a student at Polaris School [in Chicago],” a source told Page Six.
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A portion of Kanye’s portfolio which was up for sale appeared on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow in 2020. A flyer accompanying the collection said the Chicago native crafted the paintings as a 17-year-old in 1995 and mentioned his plans to pursue a music career as a producer.
During the episode, Laura Wooley appraised the featured collection done across different artistic mediums for between $16,000 to $23,000 but recognized the value would go up with time due to Kanye’s celebrity status. She was super impressed with his drawing ability at such a young age.
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“I think what really attracted me to these pieces was the fact that a lot of people are probably not aware of how talented he is as an artist outside of his music career,” said Wooley. “I think these pieces demonstrate an extraordinary facility as an artist and I selected this grouping because it shows the different mediums he was working in.”
The exact price Basnayake paid for Kanye’s collection remains unknown due to a non-disclosure agreement signed between both parties, according to Page Six.
