Salvador Dali, other paintings return to Beaverbrook gallery

New Brunswick's most valuable art collection is back home after three years travelling around North America.

Two transport trucks delivered the 75 paintings back to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery a few weeks ago and now the gallery is preparing an exhibition to welcome them back.

Many of the paintings were at the centre of the dispute over ownership between the Beaverbrook Art Gallery and the Beaverbrook U.K. and Canadian foundations.

The Masterwork collection includes Salvador Dali's Santiago El Grande and J.M.W. Turner's The Fountain of Indolence and Lucian Freud's Hotel Bedroom.

"They're back, finally. It's been very stressful. They've enjoyed a North American tour. They were in Florida, they were in Alabama, in western Canada and most recently at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. It broke all their attendance figures. It was pretty incredible," says Terry Graff, the director and chief curator at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery.

"We're very proud of this collection. It's our asset. It's the most valuable art collection in Atlantic Canada and one of the finest in North America."

Graff travelled with the paintings and said there were many issues to consider from tornado and terrorism insurance to making sure they were packed and transported safely.

"Every time you handle a work, it's sort of a nerve-racking experience but fortunately we worked with a lot of professionals and all of the works arrived safely back home," says Graff.

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery is preparing a Masterworks exhibition to open on May 2 and will run through the summer. It will include paintings and some of the drawings the artists made in preparation for the works.

The art gallery is also planning a fundraising event with the Masterworks exhibit on May 9.