10 signed Salvador Dalí prints found stashed in garage, 'quite surreal'

LONDON (WKRC) - An auctioneer was shocked to find 10 prints signed by iconic surrealist painter Salvador Dalí that had been sitting in a garage for half a century.

The auctioneer was called to an unnamed client's residence in Mayfair, London to value multiple items. He said that the visit was average until the pair went into the garage.

"It was an amazing find," said Chris Kirkham from London's Hansons Richmond auction house. “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 counted 15 total prints, 10 from SalvadorDalí and five from French artist Theo Tobiasse. The prints were lithographs, which uses a flat metal or stone plate to transfer a painting made from special materials onto a piece of paper.

The client had apparently acquired them when an art gallery closed in the 1970s.

“They’d been tucked away and forgotten about for around 50 years," Kirkham said. "It felt quite surreal. You never know what you’re going to uncover on a routine home visit."

The buyer didn't intend on shoving them in the back of his garage for half a century.

"He purchased them with a view to framing them for his home in Berkeley Square but never got around to it," Kirkham said. "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 auction house estimated the original 15 lithographs likely sold for around $660 when the buyer purchased them in the 1970s, but estimate each individual print could now be worth that much.

“Dalí and Tobiasse are highly regarded and anything connected to them is sought after,” Kirkham said. “These lithographs provide an inexpensive way to own a signed print.”

If you're interested in purchasing one for yourself, the prints will be available on September 30 in Hansons Richmond Fine Art, Antiquities and Collectibles Auction.