Salvador Dali

New York: Konecky & Konecky, 1993. Production of EDITA-Lausanne Presumed first U.S. edition thus. Hardcover. Very good/Fair. The format is approximately 9.25 inches by 12 inches. 383, [1] pages. Illustrations (many in color). DJ illustrated front and back. DJ is worn, torn, soiled and chipped. This is one of the Masterworks series. Robert P. Descharnes (January 1, 1926 - February 15, 2014) was a French photographer, filmmaker and author. He served as Salvador Dalí's secretary and, after the painter's death, administrator of his copyright. He is the author of several books on Dalí. Descharnes collected over 60,000 negatives of Dalí's daily life, a fraction of which Descharnes infrequently exhibited in art museums. For over 40 years, he fought to protect Dalí's legacy from forgeries and fakes. He wrote several reference books on the man's life and work. Descharnes was named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011. Nicholas Descharnes was a well-known writer and Dali scholar. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 1904 - 23 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí was a Spanish surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, and the striking and bizarre images in his work.
Born in Figueras, Catalonia, Spain, Dalí received his formal education in fine arts in Madrid. Influenced by Impressionism and the Renaissance masters from a young age he became increasingly attracted to Cubism and avant-garde movements. He moved closer to Surrealism in the late 1920s and joined the Surrealist group in 1929, soon becoming one of its leading exponents. His best-known work, The Persistence of Memory, was completed in August 1931, and is one of the most famous Surrealist paintings. Dalí lived in France throughout the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) before leaving for the United States in 1940 where he achieved commercial success. He returned to Spain in 1948 where he announced his return to the Catholic faith and developed his "nuclear mysticism" style, based on his interest in classicism, mysticism, and recent scientific developments. Dalí's artistic repertoire included painting, graphic arts, film, sculpture, design and photography, at times in collaboration with other artists. He also wrote fiction, poetry, autobiography, essays and criticism. Major themes in his work include dreams, the subconscious, sexuality, religion, science and his closest personal relationships. To the dismay of those who held his work in high regard, and to the irritation of his critics, his eccentric and ostentatious public behavior often drew more attention than his artwork. His life and work were an important influence on other Surrealists, pop art and contemporary artists such as Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst.