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A treasure trove of 11 lithographs signed by renowned Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí sparked an auction battle after languishing in a garage for 50 years.
The prints, bought in the 1970s at an art gallery closing-down sale for £500, sparked worldwide media interests and intense competition between online and phone bidders at Hansons Richmond in London recently. All were found in a garage in London’s Berkeley Square, Mayfair, by antiques expert Chris Kirkham.
The lots went to auction guided at £500-£700 each but every one smashed their estimates. The most sought after was an abstract colour lithograph of nude figures signed by Dalí in pencil. The limited-edition print, 41 of 1,254, hammered at £4,900. In similar vein, a signed limited-edition (41/125) lithograph featuring a woman in a yellow dress made £3,100. All but one lot surpassed £1,000 and the total achieved for the 11 lithographs was a hammer of £19,750.
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 sold to bidders from the UK, Europe and the USA. We’re delighted for the people lucky enough to secure them and our client.
“The discovery came about after I was invited 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. 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. He purchased them with a view to framing them for his home in Berkeley Square but never got round to it. So the prints ended up in his garage. They were rediscovered because the seller was having a clear out. He’s looking to retire and move abroad, so his lithographs finally saw the light of day at auction.
“News of the garage find reached every corner of the globe. It sparked huge media coverage and we’re delighted as that helped us to unite these signed lithographs with people who will treasure them. We originally anticipated the collection would make £5,000 but it quadrupled that. It underlines the passion for Dalí. 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.
