ART

Despite record high auction prices, art can still be a serendipitous pleasure, as Belmont, Calif., fisherman Jack Liberatis found out Sunday. Liberatis and his wife, Linda, paid $100 for several unassuming boxes at a Bekins Moving & Storage auction for unclaimed goods. Upon opening the boxes, the Liberatis discovered some lost works of Douglas Tilden, a San Francisco sculptor internationally famous around the turn of the century. Liberatis, who said he thought he was buying tool boxes, pointed out his discovery to several Bay Area experts, and one--Allan Temko, architecture critic for the San Francisco Chronicle--said Liberatis’ purchase “could be immensely valuable,” if they’re genuine Tildens.