Jackson Pollock discovered his iconic drip painting style not in an art studio but in a hardware shop on Long Island.

While he was perusing the store one day, he stumbled upon house paint. Unlike the oil paint he was used to, the house paint was much thinner and more lustrous. It flowed naturally, like water. Pollock was curious. So, he lugged several cans back to a barn he had converted into a studio and began experimenting.

He soon found the house paints could be poured, dripped, splattered and strewn directly on the canvas right out of the can. Pollock did away with the easel and blanketed the floor with several unprimed canvases. Madness ensued.

His painting style was much like his demeanor: angry, aggressive, in-your-face, self-destructive and, at times, outright violent. One of Pollock’s most loyal supporters was the art collector, Peggy Guggenheim. She hosted a solo exhibition for him once at her house where Pollock got drunk and took a whiz in her fireplace. Remarkably, she remained his most unwavering advocate. Her loyalty was rewarded. In 1950, Pollock created arguably his most legendary masterpiece for Guggenheim.

The enormous Mural is nearly 20 feet wide and 8 feet high. Today, it’s estimated to be worth $140 million.