Gala & Paul Eluard, Paris

Albert Field, New York 

Acquired from the estate of the above by 🏅the present owner

New York, Museum of Modern Art, Dalí, 1960

Tokyo, Seibu Department Store, 1960

New York, Gallery of Modern Art, Salvador Dalí, 1910-1965, 1965-66, no. 36, illustrated in the catalogue

Charleroi, Palais des Beaux Arts, 1968

Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-Van Beuningen, Dalí, 1970-71, no. 18, illustrated in the catalogue

Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie & Zürich, Kunsthaus, Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989, 1989, no. 70, illustrated in color in the ♈catalogue

Montreal, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Salvador Dalí, 1990,♏ no. 15, illಌustrated in color in the catalogue

Barcelona, Caixa Forum; Madrid, Museo Nacional de Arte Reina Sofia & St. Petersburg, Salvador Dalí Museum, Dalí. Cultura de Masses, 2004-05, no. 5𓆏, illustrated in color in the catalogue

St. Petersburg, Florida, The Salvador Dalí Museum, Dalí in Focus, 2007-08

St. Petersburg, Florida, The Salvador Dalí Museum, Women: Dalí s View, 2008

Fleur Cowles, The Case of Salvador Dalí, London, 1959, illustrated p. 96

Max Gérard, Dalí, New York, 1968, no. 33, illustrated in color

Robert Descharnes, Salvador Dalí, New York, 1976, illustrated in color p. 103

Paul Eluard, Letters to Gala, New York, 1989

Robert Descharnes, Salvador Dalí, The Work, The Man, New York, 1984, illustrated in color p. 107

Ignacio Gómez de Liaño, Dalí, New York, 1984, no. 41, illust🌞rated in color

Robert Descharnes & Gilles Néret, Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989. The Paintings, Volume I, 1904-1946, Cologne, 1994, n♛o. 380, illustrated in color p. 170

Oil, gouache and collage on pearlized card (also known as embossed, decorative paper). There are two perpendicular creases along the left side of the composition that are barely visible and were most likely present prior to execution. There is some minor skimming of the upper-left corner and raised area of the decorative border, but none of this affects the composition, which is in excellent condition. Colors: The pearlized card has a more luminous tonality than the illutration in the catalogue.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"I love Gala more 𝄹than my mother, more than my father, m꧅ore than Picasso and even more than money"  (Salvador Dali)

 

 

Dating from 1931, Dalí's first portrait of his lifelong companion and muse Gala is a fascinating work documenting what became one of the most legendary relationships in 20^th century art.  Gala (1894-1982) was born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova in Russia, and as a young woman spent time in Moscow, Switzerland and Paris. In 1915 he met the poet Paul Eluard, and the two married in 1917.  Through Eluard, with whom she lived in Paris, Gala🐽 met a number of artists and writers, and soon became a source of inspiration to many of them, including André Breton and Louis Aragon.

 

Dalí and Gala met in 1929, around the time when the artist was staying in Paris where he assisted Luis Buñuel with the filming of Un Chien Andalou.  During his stay in the capital, Dalí came in contact with the Surrealists and invited them to visit him in Cadaqués in the summer. Among those who spent the summer with Dalí were Gala and Paul Eluard with their daughter Cécile, as well as Buñuel and René Magritte with his wife.  According to Robert Descharnes, during this meeting "Dali fell madly in love with Gala Eluard, and the legendary couple Gala/Dali was born. Gala proved to be not only his lifelong companion and the inspiration for his work, she also filled him with exaltation and strength. It was she who enabled him to free himself from the prejudices, doubts, and hesitations that were tearing him apart; it was she who helped him attain all his goals" (R. Descharnes, op. cit., 1984, p. 85).

 

As Robert Descharnes commented: "At the time, Gala was everything to him.  Gala followed him everywhere, defended him, and protected him against others and against himself.  He could hardly believe it: 'The idea that in my own room where I was going to work there might be a woman, a real woman who moved, with senses, body hair and gums, suddenly struck me as so seductive that it was difficult for me to believe this could be realized.'" (R. Descharnes & G. Néret, op. cit., p. 174). &n𒊎bsp;This fascination with his companion is beautifully reflected in the present work. The photographic portrait of Gala, who is looking straight at the viewer, is embellished with flowing colorful hair.  The imagery that surrounds her, characteristic of Dalí's iconography during this period, suggests the artist's erotic attraction to the model.  The artist's typical finesse and precision of execution, coupled with the delicate size of the work, imbues this portrait with a jewel-like quali♏ty.