In 2007, while looking at a small cottage in Bellport Village as a reality investment for a friend, a man named Thomas Schultz came upon an amazing discovery in the small, one-car garage that sat behind it. Schultz, intrigued by the garage, crawled underneath the broke door and found stacks up to four feet high of artwork. This artwork was the legacy of Armenian-American artist Arthur Pinajian, whose sister had owned the house years before.

When approaching his death, Pinajian gave the works to his sister, telling her to throw them away, but a cousin had stopped her. They spent years stacked up in their garage, only to be discovered by Schultz. Schultz made an offer to buy 7,000 pieces, without any idea what their worth might be. When the economy crashed, Schultz’s pal Joseph Lawrence, who had purchased the house, asked Dr. William Innes Homer, an art historian and a friend, to examine the pieces. Homer claimed it could be one of the most interesting art discoveries in 20th century art, estimating the works to be worth up to $30 million.

Pinajian’s artwork is currently being displayed at the Quogue Gallery, established by Christy and Chester Murray in 2014. The gallery includes artwork from many decades of his lifetime. Pinajian, an abstract expressionist, dedicated his life to painting. Day in and day out he painted, while his sister supported him. “He just wanted to paint,” says Holly Degnan, an employee of the Quogue Gallery, “he made art for the sake of making art, not for production.” Pinajian never named any of his paintings, though he signed and dated each one. Through much discussion, the Murrays and Degnan agreed that his artwork could be described as “joyful.” “Though he did have dark moments too,” Mrs. Murray added.

Pinajian’s artwork is being displayed at the Quogue Gallery until Thursday, December 31st. Decades of his works will hang on the walls for just a few more weeks, so check it out if you get the chance.“This is definitely his legacy,” says Degnan, smiling as she admired some of his abstract works framed upon the wall.

You can visit the gallery’s website for more information: http://www.quoguegallery.com/