Lost Salvador Dalí Prints Signed By The Artist Himself Turn Up In Garage

Image via World Image Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Stashed away for nearly half a century, these 10 signed prints by the legendary Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí were recently rediscovered in a Berkeley Square home, where they had been gathering dust in the garage since the 1970s.

Despite their prolonged dormancy, the vibrant colors of the lithographs remain as striking as ever, depicting Dalí’s signature surreal human forms, plants, animals, and architectural elements.

Alongside the Dalí works, five lithographs by the French artist Théo Tobiasse were also unearthed at this spot. The prints, which were originally purchased in their entirety for just £500 from a London gallery, had been intended for framing but were instead left in storage.

Image via Hansons Auctioneers

For the homeowner, what started as a modest purchase nearly 50 years ago has now transformed into rare keepsakes. These long-lost artworks are now set to hit the auction block on September 30 through Hansons Richmond. Each of Dalí’s works is expected to fetch between £300 and £500 (US$393 to US$656), while the Tobiasse lithographs are estimated to sell for £100 to £300 (US$131 to US$393).

Chris Kirkham, London’s Hansons Richmond auction house associate director who made the discovery during a run-of-the-mill valuation of antiques, calls the discovery an “amazing” one.

“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,” Kirkham relates.

“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.”

[via Smithsonian Magazine, CNN, The Collector, InsideHook, images via various sources]