Dali: The Work, the Man Book

Dali's art and his aesthetics have been the subject of heated controversy for over half a century, but even his severest critics admit that he was among the finest draftsmen and most brilliant technicians since the Renaissance. His talents were protean: besides producing an astounding body of paintings, drawings, and graphic works, he wrote extraordinarily fascinating books (including the autobiography The Secret Life of Salvador Dali and a novel, Hidden Faces), conceived the décor and scenarios for several major ballets, designed stage sets for operas and plays, collaborate with director Luis Bunuel on two ground-breaking Surrealist films, participated in the creation of special sequences for Hollywood movies, illustrated numerous books, and designed jewelry of Cellinian splendor.

Dali was a leading member of the Surrealist movement in the late twenties and early thirties - many consider him to have been the Surrealist - but after his stormy expulsion from the group he struck out on his own, creating stimulating and hallucinogenic works that defy any categorization other than their unique Dalinian labels.

This survey provides a key to the many worlds if Dali's art. The text is by Robert Descharnes, an authority on contemporary art and a long-time member of Dali's inner circle. His text and choice of illustrations present a fresh appraisal of Dali's oeuvre: the majority of the large, full-page color, and many of the black-and-white illustrations are of rarely seen paintings, including the pivotal early Surrealist canvas Blood Is Sweeter Than Honey. Especially revealing is the selection of previously unpublished pre-Surrealist works. Detailed commentaries on all the colorplates, an illustrated biographical outline, statements from Dali on all manner of subjects, a selected bibliography, and an index round out this volume, which is a must for any collector of books on Dali and an exciting adventure for those who have yet to make the acquaintance of his art.

128 illustrations, 40 in full color, 128 pages, 8-7/8 x 12"