By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Fool me once, shame on you; fool me hundreds of times….and you may be describing a large chunk of Salvador Dalí paintings, drawings, prints and more. Take the master of the double-image, add in technical virtuosity worthy of the Old Masters, and you’ve got the recipe for…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian This photo of Salvador Dalí, taken at the Plaza Hotel in New York, reminds me of a charming true story told to me when I was being considered for the position of publicity director of the original Salvador Dalí Museum in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland (I…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian One Salvador Dalí painting I sense sort of flies under the radar some – a work I don’t believe leaps readily to mind when people think of the artist – is “Sistine Madonna,” a.k.a., “Madonna of the Ear.” So today’s a good time to take a brief…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian In Salvador Dalí’s rather famous appearance on the American TV game show, “What’s My Line?”, the celebrated artist was asked if he was a leading man. Dalí responded, “Yes,” to which the show’s host had to dial up a bit of corrective clarification. But when it came…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian There’s always so much to discover, rediscover, and just marvel at when the subject turns to Salvador Dalí. Whether we’re talking about his paintings, prints, drawings, watercolors, sculptures or other creative projects, there seems to be an endless supply of tasty morsels for us to consume with gusto….
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Yes, Salvador Dalí was a Surrealist. Of course. The most famous one of all. But he was also a realist. A great one. And I mean realist in two different ways: his realistic painting technique, and as a source of inspiration. Let me explain. Much – perhaps…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian AND THE DALI’S GO TO… Asia seems to be buying up a lot of things these days – including “Maison pour Erotomane” and “Gradiva,” the two small early 1930s Salvador Dalí paintings that fetched nearly $5 million and $4 million, respectively, at a recent Sotheby’s auction in London….
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Two little Salvador Dalí gems – miniaturist oil paintings essentially out of circulation for some 80 years – sold for multiple-millions of dollars last evening at Sotheby’s auction house in London. “Gradiva,” seen here, an oil on copper (8-1/8 in. x 6-1/8 in.), fetched a grand total…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Put aside spring fever for now – let’s talk auction fever! I always get a bit of a rush (you, too?) when interesting Salvador Dalí works are about to go on the auction block. It again puts Dalí on the world stage. And it’s simply intriguing to see…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Possibly the most intriguing project ever undertaken by Salvador Dalí – one with a twist no one saw coming – was when impresario, lyricist, and theater showman Billy Rose commissioned Dalí to create seven paintings for Rose’s “Seven Lively Arts” revue in 1944 at his Ziegfeld Theatre in…