Artwork by a famous surrealist painter has landed in the fine arts center.

Two Salvador Dali prints have been given to the department of modern languages by an anonymous donor.

The prints were donated in memory of Carol Brown, former department head of modern languages from 1965-1989, Potter College Dean David Lee said. Brown died a few years ago.

The donor wanted to recognize the strong support Brown gave him or her as an undergraduate, Lee said.

According to the donor, Brown was “a fine human being and a caring teacher,” said Leslie Watkins, director of development for Potter College.

The prints, which are part of a limited number of copies of Dali’s paintings, were both inspired by Dante’s 14th-century epic poem “The Divine Comedy,” he said.

Lee said he was delighted to see Brown receive this type of honor.

The Spanish-born Dali led the school of artists known as “surrealists” that emerged in the 1930s. His most famous work is “The Persistence of Memory,” a painting remembered for its melting clocks.

Dali himself was an extravagant figure, who always wore capes and “looked kind of like Satan,” said Linda Pickle, department head for modern languages.

The prints are hanging in Pickle’s office.

They are part of 100 images reproduced from Dali’s work, Watkins said.

The first print arrived at the modern language office in late 2005, Pickle said.

Each print is made out of a woodcut engraving on a piece of paper, she said.

The modern language prints are more traditional than most of Dali’s work, but still have a tinge of surreal imagery, Pickle said.

Dali moved away from surrealism in the 1950s when he had a spiritual crisis, she said.

Both prints are unusual, but appropriate for a department interested in an international and multicultural emphasis, Pickle said.

Both prints show Dali’s interpretation of parts of “The Divine Comedy,” one of purgatory and the other of paradise, said Carrie Barnette, director of development for University Libraries.

Everyone who sees the prints comments on how beautiful they are, Pickle said.

The new print was unveiled yesterday at a reception at the modern languages department office.

The donor has given other works of art to the Kentucky Museum, but with the donor’s own name, Barnette said.

The donor also wanted to give the Dali prints to Western because he or she has a large art collection and wanted to share it with the campus community, said Donald Smith, director of the alumni association.

The donor wished for the donation to be anonymous so the gift wouldn’t be about him or her, Watkins said.