A COLLECTION of Salvador Dalí prints which spent 50 years gathering dust in a garage before being found during a clear-out have sold at auction for almost £20,000.
The 11 forgotten lithographs by the renowned Spanish surrealist were found at a house in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London.
They had been bought for £500 from an art gallery at a closing-down sale during the 1970s before spending decades sitting in a garage.
The “treasure trove” of artwork was found recently after the seller had a clear-out while preparing to move abroad.
The collection was tipped to fetch £5,000 when it went under the hammer today at Hansons Richmond in London but smashed its estimate and sold for a whopping £19,750.
A limited-edition abstract colour lithograph of nude figures which Dalí signed in pencil was the most sought-after piece and sold for £4,900.
Another signed limited-edition lithograph featuring a woman in a yellow dress fetched £3,100 and all but one of the lots surpassed £1,000.
Chris Kirkham, associate director of London’s Hansons Richmond, said: “It was an amazing find.
“It sparked phenomenal interest from all over the world – and phenomenal results.
“The lithographs were sold to bidders from the UK, Europe and the USA.
“We’re delighted for the people lucky enough to secure them and our client.
Chris revealed that he stumbled across the discovery after his client invited him to “assess some antiques at the vendor’s home in Mayfair”.
“During the visit, he took me to his garage and, lo and behold, out came this treasure trove of surrealist lithographs,” he added.
“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.”
“The buyer paid a modest £500 for the lithographs, all unframed, in a closing down sale at a central London gallery in the 1970s.”
The lucky client had intended to hang the pieces in his Berkeley Square home but never got around to doing so, according to Chris.
The associate director added: “They were rediscovered because the seller was having a clearout.
“He’s looking to retire and move abroad, so his lithographs finally saw the light of day at auction.
News of the rediscovered lithographs spread across the globe, with several media outlets covering the story.
Chris claimed that the international media buzz reflected an underlying “passion for Dalí”.
He added: “We originally anticipated the collection would make £5,000 but it quadrupled that.
“The same sale saw £3,600 achieved against a guide of £1,200-£1,800 for a limited edition (374/1,500) Dalí bronze figure entitled The Surrealist Angel.”
Catalonia-born surrealist Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) received his formal education in fine arts in Madrid.
He became increasingly attracted to avant-garde movements and joined the Surrealist group in 1929, soon becoming a leading exponent.
One of the most prolific artists of the 20th century, he’s renowned for his technical skill and bizarre images.
Influenced by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Sigmund Freud, his repertoire included paintings, sculpture, film, graphic art, animation, fashion and photography.
It comes after a boy, who was just 11 at the time, found a cool picture while playing at a rubbish tip – now he’s selling it and it could fetch £20,000.
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