Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dali (1908-89) is the artist most closely associated in the public mind with Surrealism, having created several of that movement's most iconic images. The creator of paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, designs, films and literary works, he is without doubt one of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. His apparent eccentricity, his talent for shameless self-promotion through outrageous stunts and his alleged cupidity have also made him one of the most critically controversial artists of recent times. The story of his extraordinary life is intimately bound up with his art. For the first time this book provides a visual history of Dali's entire career, illustrated with personal photographs, sketchbooks, drawings, letters, posters and commercial designs, many drawn from the archives at the Dali Foundation and never before published, as well as reproductions of his famous works. The photographs give a key insight into Dali's career; in them we see Dali as a child, in his studio, with his inseparable wife and muse Gala, travelling the world and fraternising with celebrities including Harpo Marx, Walt Disney, Sidney Poitier, Andy Warhol, Gregory Peck, Alice Cooper and Robert Kennedy. In hundreds of images Dali poses for the camera, always aware of and manipulating his self-image in a way that in today's celebrity-obsessed times seems extremely prescient. The inclusion of numerous designs for handbills and exhibition posters as well as magazine covers and book jackets gives some idea of the scale of Dali's prolific output beyond the gallery walls. Colour reproductions of famous sculptures and paintings ensure that this accessible and concise biography can be read in conjunction with the works that brought him fame. With its wealth of previously unpublished material, this will be a key addition to scholarship on Dali as well as providing new insights into the life and creative processes of this uniquely fascinating and hugely popular artist.