A collection of artwork that Kanye West made as a teenager is currently valued at $3.1 million after collector Vinoda Basnayake discovered it on PBS’s Antiques Roadshow back in 2020. At the time, Appraiser Laura Woolley valued the pieces at just $16,000 to $23,000.
Basnayake felt the assessment was incorrect and had the collection re-appraised in 2025, and the valuation skyrocketed, according to Page Six. He told the outlet that the original figure “materially missed the bigger picture because they approached the work as typical celebrity art, which on its own doesn’t usually command major value.”
One of the pieces is a drawing of West's mother, Donda. The entire collection features five paintings and drawings that West made while he was an art student at Polaris School.
Kanye West's Marseille Concert
In other news, Kanye West made headlines on Tuesday night for postponing his upcoming concert in France, as reports surfaced that government officials were trying to block him from traveling to the country. "I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends. I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me. Looking forward to the next shows. See you at the top of the globe," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The decision came after Marseille’s mayor, Benoit Payan, spoke out against letting West perform at the concert in a statement on X, last month. “I refuse to let Marseille be a showcase for those who promote hatred and unapologetic Nazism,” Payan wrote at the time. “Kanye West is not welcome at the Vélodrome, our temple of living together and of all Marseillais.”
Prior to the drama in France, the Home Office of the United Kingdom blocked West from traveling to London to headline Wireless Festival. They similarly cited his antisemitic antics in recent years.
West tried to resolve that situation by offering to meet with representatives from the Jewish community in London. "To Those I've Hurt: I've been following the conversation around Wireless and want to address it directly. My only goal is to come to London and present a show of change, bringing unity, peace, and love through my music," he wrote in a statement. "I know words aren't enough - I'll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here. With Love, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West."
