This Artist Gives Old, ‘Unloved’ Works of Art a Modern Makeover

Dave Pollock paints 21st Century pop culture figures on unwanted thrift store art to give it a new lease of life.

Dave Pollock transforms old works of art into modernised masterpieces.

(Photo: davepollotart/Instagram)

Video Editor: Sandeep Suman

Thirty eight-year-old New York-based artist Dave Pollock gives old, unwanted thrift store art a new lease of life, by painting amusing 21st Century pop culture figures into the scenery of discarded canvases.

With an affinity for all things pop culture, Pollock dedicates his time to transforming “unloved” works of art into modernised masterpieces, featuring some of his favourite characters.

Pollock recently left his job as a software engineer to pursue his passion full-time. His works features a wide variety of contemporary characters.

Incorporating the characters in the exact style of his chosen backdrop, Pollock’s artwork has proven to be a huge hit online, with his sales on artisan site ‘Etsy’ reaching over 14,000.

Picking up the art for pennies and selling it for prices up to 500 GBP, Pollock remains incredibly grateful to his wife, Becca, who returned home with a charity shop painting in 2010, urging him to paint "something funny" on it.

Regularly showcasing his latest work on his Instagram page, @DavePollotArt, Pollock said, “I’ve been drawing and painting most of my life and I was always encouraged by my family to explore my creativity however I could”.

Having spent the last 15 years writing software during the day and painting at night, Pollock decided to pick just one passion (painting) and go for it. He claims that there is always a place for all art, and it’s interesting how humans put an expiration date on some pieces, no longer seeing their value.

I grew up in the 80s and 90s and loved the things that came out of the era, but does that mean that someone in the late 90s is incapable of appreciating or understanding those things in the same way? Certainly there’s a nostalgic feeling I may have and they may not, but I wonder if that truly matters.

Dave Pollock, Artist

Claiming that he focuses on just making the kind of art he would enjoy and be proud of, Pollock claims that he has never intended or wanted to put financial pressure on his artwork. He believes his work is somewhat of an answer to some of these questions, challenging the idea that anyone really owns the pop culture of a particular time.

I try to seamlessly combine pieces of abandoned or forgotten artwork with the elements of pop culture that I love, changing the meaning of both in an effort to make both relevant to new groups of people.

Dave Pollock, Artist

(With inputs from AP)