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…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Sometimes tiny, seemingly insignificant details grow to become fascinating points of interest along the journey to discover more and more about Salvador Dalí and his incomparable creations. With thoughts increasingly tipping toward spring, I want to focus today on the simple but elegant white flower, the jasmine….
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian It’s almost spring. When a man’s thoughts turn to…..Salvador Dalí, of course. And with spring nearly on the doorstep, let’s throw open the windows and look at some works by Dalí that, to a greater or lesser extent, exude at least some thoughts of spring. I’m thinking…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian When it comes to Salvador Dalí, the hits just keep on coming! The latest? It was just revealed that two dandy Dalí’s, in private hands for more than seven decades, will be heading for the auction block Feb. 28 at Sotheby’s in London. According to news reports, the…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Call it the “un-Dalí.” But not the way the soft drink, 7-Up, was famously dubbed the “un-Cola.” Instead, I’m talking about a beautiful c.1950 painting by Salvador Dalí, titled “Mystical Carnation.” According to the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation in Spain, “Mystical Carnation” is an oil on unknown support; of unknown…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian In the shadow of America’s hysterically popular Super Bowl 52, let’s take a look at Dalí the athlete. Come again? OK, the man was many things; a sports figure he was not. But Salvador Dalí’s life and work did include some sports references – yes, even to…