Goodwill shopper picks up $8 print which turns out to be painting worth THOUSANDS

By ALYSSA GUZMAN, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:21, 6 May 2026 | Updated: 20:25, 6 May 2026 An unsuspecting Minnesota shopper got more than she bargained for after picking up a cool-looking painting at Goodwill... before learning that the artwork was actually worth thousands of dollars. Realtor Lydia Kauppi, 37, of Minneapolis, was browsing her local thrift store when she came across an abstract green piece of art that featured flowers and abstract lines. Kauppi liked the painting so much, despite its 'ugly' frame, that she took it home and kept it proudly displayed on her wall for three years. The piece set her back a mere $8, but after doing some leisurely digging, Kauppi claimed she discovered that the painting was actually made by Twin Cities artist Jerry Rudquist, meaning its price tag was significantly more than she had thought. Rudquist, whose glittering career spanned four decades, has his artwork proudly displayed in the State Department. The well-known artist was as an integral member of the national art community, the agency said.  After his death in 2001, he was considered one of the Midwest's most significant artists.  'I just discovered that it’s the actual freaking painting,' Kauppi said on X, without revealing how she verified the painting.   The Daily Mail has reached out to Kauppi for comment.  Lydia Kauppi, 37, of Minneapolis, thrifted a Jerry Rudquist painting three years ago unknowingly Recently, she discovered who the true artist was and that the print was actually a painting. She thrifted it for $8 and Rudquist's paintings go between $500 and $3,500  Rudquist's paintings fetch for anywhere between $500 and $3,500 a piece, according to the Groveland Gallery.  It's unclear if Kauppi plans on selling the beautiful piece or keeping it on display in her home.  The mother said she mistook the painting for a print, and has since placed it behind a glass frame. 'In my defense, the canvas has a clean taped white edge that really looks like a print margin, so I just thought it was a print of some famous art I was unfamiliar with,' she wrote in the comment section under her post.  Her next step is to get it professionally looked at to see if it needs reframing and any restoring, she said.  Rudquist lived most of his life as a teaching artist, according to his daughter, Monica. The artist lived in St. Paul and taught at Macalester College, where he taught for 42 years before retiring in 2000.  Rudquist spent his years as a teaching artist, where he taught at Macalester College for 42 years, while also creating art. At the time of his death, he was considered one of the Midwest's most significant artists  Throughout his career, he showed his work across the country and had solo exhibitions at the Walker Art Center, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Rourke Gallery, and Kilbride Bradley Gallery, among others.  In addition to the State Department, his work is also featured in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Chicago Art Institute, among others.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.