SIGNED, limited edition prints by Picasso and Miro are the star items at the Canterbury Auction Galleries sale on Tuesday.

"In New York last month a painting by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) sold for £51 million, a price that is beyond most of us," said auctioneer Tony Pratt.

"The six pictures in our sale might only be prints but they are taken directly from the two artists’ body of works under their supervision and signed personally by them.

"They were sold by a prominent London dealer and each is framed and ready to hang. Each also has a certificate of authenticity which is fastened to the back of the frame and estimated at £200-£300, making them extremely good value.

"With today’s fashion for minimalist interiors, they would look stunning when hung together on a wall."

The three by Picasso are coloured lithographs from the "Toros Y Toreros Series" and are titled respectively: "The Bull Ring of Arles"; "The Bull Fight" and "Jacqueline on horseback".

Picasso’s fascination with the bullfight started when he was a young boy in Malaga. His childhood notebooks from school are filled with sketches of matadors, bullrings, and picadors.

Joan Miro (1893-1983) was a surrealist artist who produced ethereal works in which forms and figures are reduced to abstract spots, lines, and bursts of colours, devoting himself to etchings and lithographs for several years in the 1950s.

Such examples are "Woman and Sun" and "The Child", bold lithographs in red, blue and black, while in "The Ant", the artist reduces the creature to a handful of black lines. Each is signed and numbered 35 from a short edition of 50, framed and also estimated at £200-£300.

The sale starts at 10.30am. Viewing is on Sunday June 11 2pm-5pm, Monday June 12 10am -7pm and on the morning of the sale from 9am.

Contact Tony Pratt on 01227 763337.