A long-lost avant-garde painting has been found by a sharp-eyed art historian who recognised the work in the background of 90s children's movie Stuart Little. Gergely Barki, 43, a researcher at Hungary's National Gallery, noticed Sleeping Lady with Black Vase by 20th Century painter Robert Bereny while watching TV with his daughter Lola in 2009. The painting, which is up for auction at a starting price of 110,000 euros (£87,200), had been bought by the film's set designer for 'next-to-nothing' in an antique shop in California. Lost and found: Art historian Gergerly Barki spotted the lost painting being used as a prop in 1999 film Stuart Little, starring Hugh Laurie and Geena Davies . Sleeping Lady with Black Vase disappeared in the 1920s but appeared before Mr Barki's eyes, hanging on the wall in  Stuart Little, a children's film from 1999 starring Michael J Fox, Geena Davies and Hugh Laurie. Mr Barki recognised it immediately even though he had only seen a faded black-and-white photo dating from a 1928 exhibition archived in the National Gallery. 'I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Bereny's long-lost masterpiece on the wall behind Hugh Laurie, I nearly dropped Lola from my lap,' Mr Barki said . 'A researcher can never take his eyes off the job, even when watching Christmas movies at home,' he said. Mr Barki sent a flurry of emails to staff at the film's makers Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures, finally receiving a reply two year later, from one of the film's set designers. Back home again: The painting, which had been bought by a Stuart Little set designer in a California antique shop for 'next-to-nothing' in the 90s, is now up for auction at a starting price of 110,000 euros (£87,200) Treasure: Gergely Barki poses in front of  Hungarian artist Robert Bereny's Sleeping Lady with Black Vase in the Virag Judit Art Gallery in Budapest after the painting returned to Hungary after nine decades . 'She said the picture was hanging on her wall,' Mr Barki said . 'She had snapped it up for next-to-nothing in an antiques shop in Pasadena, California, thinking its avant-garde elegance was perfect for Stuart Little's living room.' After leaving Sony, the set-designer sold the painting to a private collector who has now brought the picture to Budapest for auction. Robert Bereny, the leader of a pre-World War I avant-garde movement called the 'Group of Eights', fled to Berlin in 1920 after designing recruitment posters for Hungary's short-lived communist revolution in 1919. In the German capital, he had a romance with actress Marlene Dietrich, and later returned to Hungary where he died in 1953. Bereny's painting goes under the hammer December 13 with a starting price of around 110,000 euros (£87,200), staff at the Virag Judit auction house said. According to Barki, the buyer at the 1928 exhibition, possibly Jewish, is likely to have left Hungary in the run-up to, or during, World War II. 'After the wars, revolutions, and tumult of the 20th century many Hungarian masterpieces are lost, scattered around the world,' he said.
Lost 20th Century art by Hungarian painter spotted in children's film .
The Robert Bereny painting was used as prop in 1999 film Stuart Little .
Set designer had bought it from an antique shop for 'next-to-nothing'
Art is now up for auction in Hungary with a £87,200 starting price .
A long-lost avant-garde painting has been found by a sharp-eyed art historian who recognised the work in the background of 90s children's movie Stuart Little. Gergely Barki, 43, a researcher at Hungary's National Gallery, noticed Sleeping Lady with Black Vase by 20th Century painter Robert Bereny while watching TV with his daughter Lola in 2009. The painting, which is up for auction at a starting price of 110,000 euros (£87,200), had been bought by the film's set designer for 'next-to-nothing' in an antique shop in California. Lost and found: Art historian Gergerly Barki spotted the lost painting being used as a prop in 1999 film Stuart Little, starring Hugh Laurie and Geena Davies . Sleeping Lady with Black Vase disappeared in the 1920s but appeared before Mr Barki's eyes, hanging on the wall in  Stuart Little, a children's film from 1999 starring Michael J Fox, Geena Davies and Hugh Laurie. Mr Barki recognised it immediately even though he had only seen a faded black-and-white photo dating from a 1928 exhibition archived in the National Gallery. 'I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Bereny's long-lost masterpiece on the wall behind Hugh Laurie, I nearly dropped Lola from my lap,' Mr Barki said . 'A researcher can never take his eyes off the job, even when watching Christmas movies at home,' he said. Mr Barki sent a flurry of emails to staff at the film's makers Sony Pictures and Columbia Pictures, finally receiving a reply two year later, from one of the film's set designers. Back home again: The painting, which had been bought by a Stuart Little set designer in a California antique shop for 'next-to-nothing' in the 90s, is now up for auction at a starting price of 110,000 euros (£87,200) Treasure: Gergely Barki poses in front of  Hungarian artist Robert Bereny's Sleeping Lady with Black Vase in the Virag Judit Art Gallery in Budapest after the painting returned to Hungary after nine decades . 'She said the picture was hanging on her wall,' Mr Barki said . 'She had snapped it up for next-to-nothing in an antiques shop in Pasadena, California, thinking its avant-garde elegance was perfect for Stuart Little's living room.' After leaving Sony, the set-designer sold the painting to a private collector who has now brought the picture to Budapest for auction. Robert Bereny, the leader of a pre-World War I avant-garde movement called the 'Group of Eights', fled to Berlin in 1920 after designing recruitment posters for Hungary's short-lived communist revolution in 1919. In the German capital, he had a romance with actress Marlene Dietrich, and later returned to Hungary where he died in 1953. Bereny's painting goes under the hammer December 13 with a starting price of around 110,000 euros (£87,200), staff at the Virag Judit auction house said. According to Barki, the buyer at the 1928 exhibition, possibly Jewish, is likely to have left Hungary in the run-up to, or during, World War II. 'After the wars, revolutions, and tumult of the 20th century many Hungarian masterpieces are lost, scattered around the world,' he said.
with Black Vase by 20th Century painter Robert a starting price of 110,000 euros (£87,200), had 'next-to-nothing' in an antique shop in used as a prop in 1999 film Stuart Little, wall in  Stuart Little, a children's film from designer in a California antique shop for 'next-to-nothing' in the 90s, is now up for Budapest for auction. Robert Bereny, the leader