 In 1985 after Desmond suffered a stroke, both brothers decided to sell the whole business to Philip Wilson, a company which specialised in fine arts, and to retire.Desmond Clark was a striking figure and was once described as "six feet-four tall, wearing a widebrimmed black hat and dark overcoat well below the knees" who could have been mistaken for a "descendant of a prosperous Rembrandt merchant".He married Viera Aquino in 1952.