Art collectors and curious homeowners alike are invited to uncover the hidden value of their artworks when Cowley Abbott brings its cross-country valuation tour to Niagara-on-the-Lake this Friday.

Specialists from the Toronto-based auction house will be at the RiverBrink Art Museum on April 25 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., offering verbal appraisals of paintings, prints and sculptures.

The event is part of a 12-city Canadian tour aimed at discovering artworks that may have been forgotten in basements, tucked in attics or passed down through generations.

The cost is $10 per artwork or $25 for up to three pieces, with all proceeds supporting RiverBrink. Appointments are required.

Following the valuations, Cowley Abbott’s senior international art specialist Perry Tung will present a public talk at 4 p.m. titled “The Story of a Painting.”

The lecture will explore how an artwork’s provenance (its ownership history) can impact value. Tickets are free for museum members and $15 for the public. Reservations can be made at riverbrink.org/events.

President and co-founder Rob Cowley said the tour has led to some remarkable discoveries, including Group of Seven pieces and even a painting by music icon David Bowie found at a town dump donation centre.

“Some of the most surprising finds come from works people inherited but knew little about,” said Cowley. “We’ve seen forgotten treasures worth tens of thousands of dollars.”

Stops on this year’s tour have included Charlottetown, Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary and Hamilton, with upcoming visits to Ottawa and Owen Sound.

To book an appraisal, contact 1-866-931-8415 or email eryn@cowleyabbott.ca.