A two-decades-long mystery has been cracked wide open, revealing the identity of the artist who painted a unique Wrigley Field scene, according to reports from Chicago Sun-Times. A retired chiropractor, Daniel Kamen, received the artwork nearly 20 years ago as payment for his services and has been on a quest since to find the creator, who turns out to be Chicago filmmaker Tom Palazzolo.
Kamen was led astray by a baseball glove depicted in the painting with the inscription “Tommy 05”, which Kamen believed was a tribute to 1950s Chicago Cubs outfielder, Tommy Brown. Despite reaching out to the elder ball player, Brown had no recollection of the painting, leaving Kamen at a dead end in his detective work. It was a broadcast on WGN-TV that finally put Kamen and Palazzolo in the same room, reports the TV station.
The large, 4-foot by 4-foot painting caught more than just Kamen's curiosity over the years. After originally parting with it for a mere $50, Kamen was overtaken by a seller's remorse, dubbing the decision to sell as a "big time" mistake. “I didn’t know I had an emotional attachment to it,” he lamented in a statement obtained by WGN-TV.
Determined to reclaim his beloved Wrigley Field bleacher scene, Kamen shelled out a hefty $2,000 — a major league increase from its original selling price. For Kamen, however, the reunion with the painting was a priceless victory. “I got news,” Kamen told WGN-TV. “It was worth it.” The unexpected resolution to this artful puzzle not only closes a chapter for Kamen but also links a local sports fan's memorabilia to a notable figure in Chicago's artist community.
