An employee at a charity shop in Ghent has discovered artworks by Salvador Dalí and Roger Raveel among donations. The works will be sold at a public auction at the shop next week.
Kanton Gent
Employee at Ghent charity shop rescues Dalí artwork from skip
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Nicolas Bracke found a lithograph of Dalí’s La femme cheval and Raveel’s Father and Son at the Kringwinkel charity shop on Getouwstraat. Dalí’s work was about to be thrown away.
“Many people who come to donate items to us, for example after a death, are completely unaware of exactly what they are giving away,” says Bracke. “For us, it is of course a tremendous gift to suddenly have a Dalí or a Raveel in our possession.”
The artwork was already leaning against a container, ready to be forgotten. Still, I thought it was beautiful
He is not surprised that the people who donated Dalí’s work were unaware of its value. “The glass in the frame was broken and the work, which is a lithograph, really looked like it was ready to be thrown away,” he says. “The artwork was already leaning against a container, ready to be forgotten. Still, I thought it was beautiful.”
When he looked more closely, he saw Dalí’s name engraved on the frame: “What a unique find.”
Before sharing the news, he had to be sure the piece was really what it seemed. In addition to Dalí’s name, a number is engraved in the frame. That number matches the series of numbers on other works, confirming its creator.
“I did a little dance of joy,” Bracke says. “It’s great that we, as a charity shop, can auction such a work.”
The works will be put up for sale at a public auction on 22 January at shop, which will be transformed into a temporary art gallery for the occasion. Works by Emile Claus and Jules De Bruycker and items such as a designer chair will also be auctioned.
