The eventful life of the painter who suddenly lost 78 paintings

During more than 40 years of living in seclusion, talented artist Henry Orlik experienced many events such as stroke, losing up to 78 works.

As a young man, Henry Orlik's paintings hung alongside works by masters such as Salvador Dalí and René Magritte in the 1970s. One critic described Orlik's work as "technically brilliant" and predicted he would soon become famous.

But soon after, Orlik retreated into seclusion after becoming disillusioned with the world. art increasingly commercialized. According to The Guardian , he was disappointed with the greed of art dealers who took the majority of the money from selling works, while the artists received very little.

For decades, Orlik lived and worked in a housing association flat. There were drawings and paintings rolled up and stacked everywhere. But the 77-year-old artist, who now lives in Swindon, actually had more work. When Orlik was hospitalized in 2022, his flat was repossessed. His belongings were cleared out, but he had no idea where to take them. Seventy-eight paintings are now missing.

After more than 40 years, the British artist recently attracted attention again with an exhibition called Universe of Dreams in London. When approached with Orlik's magical paintings, many art dealers expressed their emotions.

"I've had a 38-year career in the art world and I feel these works are special," said Grant Ford, owner of a gallery in Marlborough. The renowned expert also believes that Orlik is one of Britain's greatest artists.

Orlik composed many works, but some of them have been lost. Photo: Winsor Birch

Born in Germany, Orlik came to Britain with his parents in 1948, living in various resettlement camps until they moved to Swindon. He attended Swindon School of Art and Cheltenham School of Art.

The artist currently lives in his late mother's house, his health is declining, he has difficulty speaking and cannot hold a paintbrush after a stroke.

By rare luck, Orlik still had some of his work in his mother's house. A childhood friend, Jan Pietruska, sent the artist's work to exhibitions in London and Wiltshire.

In London, Orlik's works were sought after by many people, who were willing to buy them before they were shown to the public, with prices ranging from $6,500 to $50,000. A total of 30 works brought in more than $500,000.

A second exhibition at The Little Gallery in Wiltshire also attracted people willing to pay tens of thousands of pounds for the paintings.

Among Orlik’s ardent fans was James Clifford, who ran a logistics company. When he read about the artist, he went to the gallery and convinced the curator to let him see the painting before it opened.

Despite arriving early, James found the ground floor of the gallery already had "a sea of red dots" next to the paintings. It was a sign that the work had been purchased.

"I was stunned when I first saw it. I thought it was one of the most unique pieces I had ever seen," said James. He was determined to own one for himself so he bought it without hesitation.

Orlik’s work has a science fiction feel to it, as he has always had a deep interest in physics. The shapes are created with extremely thin strokes. To create this effect, he sometimes uses a brush with only a few hairs, which makes the process very time-consuming.

Mr Pietruska was delighted that his friend's talent was finally recognised: "He drew very well. I'm glad to have discovered these things."

Currently, 78 missing works by Orlik are being sought.

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