A painting bought for just $30 at an estate sale has sold for more than $1.35 million after being identified as a long-lost work by acclaimed American surrealist Gertrude Abercrombie.

The 8-by-11-inch painting, Alderman Merriam’s Shells, was discovered in a “dark corner” of a Michigan home in July. It had reportedly remained unseen in public for nearly 75 years.

Created in 1951, the painting features 10 seashells, a recurring motif in Abercrombie’s work. She later gave the painting to a doctor in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in exchange for medical treatment. It remained in his estate before eventually ending up at the sale.

The buyer, described as a longtime collector of records and mid-century furniture, noticed Abercrombie’s faint signature and paid $30 for the painting.

After purchasing it, the buyer visited an Abercrombie exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum and found a 1952 newspaper clipping featuring the same painting, prompting further investigation.

Art historian Susan Weininger later authenticated the work. It was also cleaned and restored, with conservator Julian Baumgartner describing it as being in “perfect condition” apart from accumulated grime and cloudy varnish.

Freeman’s had estimated the painting would sell for $150,000 to $250,000, but it ultimately fetched more than $1.35 million, setting a new auction record for Abercrombie.

The previous record was $1.02 million, set in 2025 when Sotheby’s sold her painting Message for Mercy.

Abercrombie, who died in 1977, was known for her dreamlike paintings and Chicago home salons, which were attended by jazz legends including Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker.