»Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision«, according to a statement by Salvador Dalí. The new, impressive Salvador Dalí illustrated book from TASCHEN is anything but restrictive or limiting. Both the illustrated book and the accompanying chronology open up a world in which you can lose yourself and any sense of time.
»Stop and look closely. Don’t take anything for granted,« wrote Anita Wallerstein about a comprehensive retrospective dedicated to the artist Salvador Dalí at the New York Gallery of Modern Art in 1965. The same could well be said of TASCHEN’s new limited-edition publication—restricted to 10,000 copies—which explores the Spanish artist’s work across two volumes: an illustrated book and a chronology. Presented in baby SUMO format, the illustrated volume showcases Dalí’s most significant works against a black background in striking quality—thanks in part to the fact that 150 of the artist’s pieces were removed from their frames and re-photographed especially for the book.
The book is complemented by a chronology volume featuring texts by Montse Aguer and Carme Ruiz of the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí in Figueres, the artist’s birthplace. Interlacing Dalí’s own words—drawn from his writings and letters—with contemporary exhibition reviews, photographs, sketches, letter fragments, and magazine articles, the authors craft a vivid portrait of the artist and his era.
With this extensive publication, TASCHEN pays monumental tribute to the ever-polarizing Spanish artist, reaffirming that Dalí envisioned and painted worlds which, even 35 years after his death, continue to reveal unexpected wonders. Both the richly illustrated volume and its accompanying chronology suggest that Salvador Dalí should not be seen merely as the emblem of surrealism. He was a sharp observer and critic of his era and of the movements he engaged with—yet from which he repeatedly and decisively broke away.
Both the illustrated book and the chronology are structured into distinct periods that follow Dalí’s artistic evolution step by step—from his early works influenced by the Futurists, through the Surrealist phase in which many of his most famous paintings emerged, to his later turn toward the classics as well as science and religion. Equally significant are his numerous (artistic) encounters and friendships, often marked by tension, such as with poet Federico García Lorca, and also with André Breton, Juan Miró, Luis Buñuel, Coco Chanel, among many others.
The chronology also offers glimpses into Dalí’s first tentative meeting with Pablo Picasso, as well as his encounter with Sigmund Freud, whose influence on his art was profound. Freud famously remarked to Stefan Zweig about Dalí: »I have to thank you indeed for the introduction of our visitor of yesterday. Until now, I was inclined to regard the Surrealists—who seem to have adopted me as their patron saint—as one hundred percent fools (let us say 95 percent, as with alcohol). This young Spaniard, with his ingenuous fanatical eyes, and his undoubtedly technically perfect mastership, has suggested to me a different estimate.«
The importance of psychoanalysis, dreams, and the realm of optical illusions is reflected not only in Dalí’s paintings but also in many of his own words: »I do my work subconsciously. I never use models or paint from life or landscapes. It is all my imagination. That is, I see everything in a dream as I am working.« He also remarked: »I paint automatically and it is related to what madmen do, the only difference being that I do not confuse the imaginary world with the real one.«
However, Dalí was not only a painter, but also a stage and costume designer, author, columnist, lecturer, and a collaborator in Hollywood productions, working with figures such as Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock. He also participated in fashion projects and frequently appeared on the pages of society magazines.
TASCHEN’s SUMO series made history in 2005 with the release of a monumental illustrated book dedicated to the work of photographer Helmut Newton. While the »Baby SUMO« series may not be quite as large in scale, it is no less impressive. The connection between the publishing house, founded by Benedikt Taschen, and Salvador Dalí is also noteworthy: forty years ago, the publisher released its very first artist monograph on the Spanish master. Titled »Dalí«, it spanned 96 pages and was authored by British surrealist Conroy Maddox. The current homage goes far beyond serving as a successor to that early paperback—it is a work of book art in which one can lose oneself and, true to Dalí’s spirit, also lose all sense of space and time. [SW]
DALÍ. BABY SUMO
Hardcover in a slipcase, 36.7 x 50 cm, 8.39, 438 pages
Edition of 10,000 copies
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