The great artist recluse and his 78 missing paintings

For decades the reclusive creator worked distant successful a lodging relation flat, stacking and rolling up canvases and drawings.

But the assemblage of enactment of 77-year-old Henry Orlik, who present lives successful Swindon, is acold smaller than it should be.

A ample chunk went missing portion helium was successful infirmary successful 2022 pursuing a stroke, and person ne'er been found.

Without his afloat portfolio of paintings, it is tricky for Orlik to cognize the afloat worth of the ones helium does person left.

But his dream-like paintings person brought tears to the eyes of creation dealers, with 1 describing him arsenic "one of Britain's greats".

"I've had a 38-year vocation successful the creation satellite and I consciousness these are conscionable exceptional," said Grant Ford from his assemblage successful Marlborough, Wiltshire.

Mr Ford, who has been showing Orlik's enactment for the archetypal clip since the 1980s, was a specializer astatine the satellite celebrated Sotheby’s auction location for 30 years.

Mr Ford was contacted by a solicitor trying to assistance Orlik, who tin nary longer prime up a brushwood aft the stroke, find his 78 missing paintings.

He besides wanted Mr Ford to worth those that were left.

"This artist, who I truly didn't cognize astir a fewer months ago, should beryllium considered 1 of our greats," Mr Ford said.

"I conscionable haven't seen thing similar this before. I deliberation they're conscionable mind-bogglingly good."

Orlik did person immoderate enactment exhibited alongside the likes of Dali successful the 1970s, but became reclusive successful the 1980s aft becoming disillusioned with the commercialized creation world.

For adept Mr Ford though, helium could not worth Orlik’s enactment without selling a fewer first.

That is wherever Orlik's puerility household friend, Jan Pietruska, stepped successful to help.

Mr Pietruska explained that it was portion Orlik was successful hospital, that helium was evicted from his lodging relation flat, which was successful London.

Its contents were cleared, but it is not known wherever they went.

As a result, valuing what is near has been indispensable to knowing what has been lost.

Originally from Poland, Orlik came to the UK with his parents successful 1948, wherever they were successful assorted resettlement camps until they moved to Swindon.

Orlik present lives successful his precocious mother's location successful the municipality wherever helium is cared for, but struggles to speak.

Over the years, helium had fortunately besides stored galore pieces there.

Mr Pietruska started to spell done the wide of art, providing pieces for exhibitions successful London and Wiltshire.

"I started unravelling these, truthful I took them to the Polish assemblage centre here, due to the fact that they had a ample creation floor," helium explained.

"I photographed them each and started recording, numbering them, naming them and past enactment them into tubes."

When Mr Ford got immoderate to London for the archetypal accumulation this year, astir 30 works made £400,000 - the bulk selling earlier the doors afloat opened to the nationalist – and fetching betwixt £5,000 and £40,000 each.

The 2nd accumulation astatine The Little Gallery successful Marlborough had online punters bidding tens of thousands of pounds.

One of the buyers was James Clifford who runs a logistics institution by day, but is an avid creation instrumentality successful his spare time.

When helium work astir Orlik via an creation update email, helium zoomed crossed London connected his moped to the assemblage and persuaded them to fto him successful earlier it opened to the public.

Despite getting successful early, helium recovered the crushed level of the assemblage was already a "sea of reddish dots" connected the labels of the paintings.

They had already been sold.

"I conscionable saw the archetypal fewer - my jaw wholly dropped. I conscionable thought this was immoderate of the astir bonzer enactment I'd seen," helium said.

He was determined to person 1 for himself, truthful made an impulse acquisition - 1 helium said helium does not regret astatine all.

"The accomplishment level is amongst the champion artistry I've seen," helium said.

For the untrained eye, the archetypal happening you mightiness announcement astir Orlik's enactment is however precise it each is. Some of it feels rather science-fiction.

Mr Ford explained that Orlik has ever had a beardown involvement successful physics, and it shows.

He uses tiny squiggles connected the paintings that marque up the colours, which helium calls "excitations”.

Friend Mr Pietruska said to make the effect, Orlik would sometimes usage conscionable a mates of hairs connected a paintbrush astatine a clip connected each one, which could instrumentality immense amounts of time.

First grooming astatine the Swindon College of Art arsenic a modern of Gilbert O'Sullivan and Virgin Atlantic logo decorator Ken White, Orlik besides went to Cheltenham School of Art.

Mr Pietruska is gladsome his person is yet getting recognition.

"It's conscionable a small aged Swindon fella who's made truly good,” helium said.

"I'm blessed to beryllium capable to spot that I've been capable to observe these things."

But for each the accomplishment connected display, dozens of his pieces of enactment vanished successful a cardinal play portion helium was successful hospital.

The hunt begins to effort to way down what mightiness person happened to them.