Ten signed Salvador Dalí lithographs have been discovered in a garage in London, where they have been stashed for half a century.
The artworks, which were discovered by an auctioneer during a routine valuation, are now expected to fetch several thousand dollars at auction.
The colorful prints were uncovered when the expert was called to a property in Mayfair, central London, to give the customer an assessment of some antiques at the property.
But the visit took a turn when the pair went out to the garage of the client, who has not been identified.
Chris Kirkham, associate director of London’s Hansons Richmond auction house, recalled how the find emerged in an announcement on the auction house’s website.
“It was an amazing find,” he said. “I was invited to assess some antiques at a client’s home. During the visit the vendor took me to his garage and, lo and behold, out came this treasure trove of surrealist lithographs - all 15 of them.”
Together with the 10 Dalí lithographs, which are a mixture of mostly mythological and allegorical scenes, were another five by Theo Tobiasse, a French painter, engraver, illustrator and sculptor.
“They’d been tucked away and forgotten about for around 50 years. It felt quite surreal. You never know what you’re going to uncover on a routine home visit,” said Kirkham, who added that the unframed artworks were purchased from a closing down sale of a central London gallery during the 1970s.
“He purchased them with a view to framing them for his home in Berkeley Square but never got round to it,” the auctioneer said.
“So the prints ended up in his garage. They were rediscovered because the seller has been having a clear out. He’s looking to retire and move abroad, so now his lithographs will finally see the light of day at auction.”
The set of pictures are thought to have been purchased for around £500 ($660) at the time, while each Dalí print could now fetch that amount individually when the collection goes under the hammer on September 30, according to the auction house.
“Dalí and Tobiasse are highly regarded and anything connected to them is sought after,” said Kirkham. “These lithographs provide an inexpensive way to own a signed print.”
Dalí, a leading member of the Surrealist group, was born in Figueres in Catalonia in 1904 and died there in 1989. A prolific artist, he was renowned for his bizarre images which famously included melting clocks and bright red lobsters.
