Salvador Dalí
Spanish painter, 1904-1989
Dalí was a skilled draftsman, best known for the striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work. His painterly skills are often attributed to the influence of Renaissance masters. His expansive artistic repertoire included film, sculpture, and photography, in collaboration with a range of artists in a variety of media. Dalí produced over 1,500 paintings in his career in addition to producing illustrations for books, lithographs, designs for theatre sets and costumes, a great number of drawings, dozens of sculptures, and various other projects, including an animated short film for Disney.
Source: Wikipedia
Spanish surrealist artist (1904-1989). Autograph letter signed. No place. Oblong 4to. 1 page.
$ 14,216 / 12.500 €
(83068/BN54502)
To a friend with compliments on his article in Time Magazine, and offering him a chance to photograph his famous painting "Assumpta Corpuscularia Lapislazulina", a work of his "corpuscular" period which he considers historic and explosive, that is scheduled to be exhibited in New York at the end of the year: "Querido Amigo - Su noticia en Time muy brillante - A fines de Octubre se podra fotog[r]afiar mi 'Asomcion de la virgen' que sera expuesto fines de Diciembre en Nuewa York. Creo una oportunidad unica ya que es un cuadro 'corpuscular i explosivo' historico en mi vida [...]".
Further, announcing a letter by his wife Gala Dalí (1894-1982), wishing her to receive the same treatment as he does: "Si recibieron una comunicación bastante sensacional de mi esposa Gala le ruego que la atienda como a mi mismo [...]". - The "Assumpta" was exhibited at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1952 and commanded a record auction price of 4 million dollars in 1990. - With a small marginal flaw not touching the text..
Spanish surrealist artist (1904-1989). Autograph manuscript signed. Neuilly-sur-Seine. 4to. 4 pp. In French. On addressed stationery. - With: 2 autograph letters signed by Dali's wife Gala Eluard, one of which with 3 autograph lines by Dali, and 1 autograph postcard signed by Gala.
$ 28,433 / 25.000 €
(98129/BN64044)
Extensive draft of a letter or article on Dali's masterpiece "Madonna of Port Lligat" (1950), an immense painting about to be displayed at its début exhibition at the Carstairs Gallery in New York, a work he claims to bring the surrealist experience of his own life in line with classical painting: "Ma madona que enfin fini, va être exposé pour la première fois au gran public, et la reponse à ma promesse que je lui havait fait aux dernières pages de ma vie secrete 'incorpore l'experience surrealiste de ma vie à la grande tradition clasique de la peinture'".
- Further, the artist explains "Dalinian symbols" in his paintings, describing bread and eggs representing the Holy Communion and Resurrection, elements which, though once considered arbitrary by the public, had recently been discovered to be in fact "mystical"; he goes on to mention praise by a friend and enthusiast of abstract art lavished on his "Madonna" before invoking a fond memory of Sigmund Freud, who called him a "fanatic": "Froid [i. e. Freud] fut le premier en decouvrir en moi un etat d'esprit mhisthique qu'on exclame [...] à mon egard, quel prototipe d'Espanol, quel Fanatique!". - Includes 2 autograph letters signed by Gala Eluard (who was to become Dali's wife), one expressing her thanks for holiday pictures, the other with three autograph lines by Dali inviting the addressee, a friend of his and Gala's, to their place ("Nous serons enchantés si vous venez nous voir"), and one autograph postcard signed from Gala to G. Keller in Paris..