Cesar Balsa, Mexico (a gift from the artist in 1957; sale: Sotheby's, London, 6th February 2008, lot 133)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Executed on paper laid down on the artist's board. The top and bottom edges are lightly creased and the extreme corners are slightly folded and worn. Apart from some slight studio dirt to the top left quadrant and tiny fly spots to the right edge, this work is in very good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Girafe Candelabra is a study by the Surrealist master, Salvador Dalí, conceiving one of the most imaginative ideas ever put forward for a work of architecture: the nightclub Dalí Noche. The present work was originally from the collection of the late Hotelier Cesar Balsa, who together with Javier Arias conceived the project in 1957.

Balsa was a great friend of Salvador Dalí and the owner of the St. Regis Hotel in New York where the artist lived in the late 1950s. Balsa intended to build the greatest nightclub in the world in Acapulco, Mexico, with Dalí to be the designer and overall inspiration behind the project. Both were delighted with the concept:

'Cesar, if you listen to me, this is going to be the eighth wonder of the world, it will be constructed in the ocean, in front of your hotel, a carriage of four gigantic giraffes with their manes on fire will lead a sea-urchin into the sea. Your clients will arrive by climbing a Nautilus sea shell into the urchin's belly, it will be seen from miles away, this project will move and breathe, and people will be able to enjoy the possibility of being crazy without being so' (Carmen Balsa, October 2007, relating a discussion between Dalí and her father Cesar Balsa in 1957).

Such𓆏 intricacies of detail are highlighted in the inscriptions on the present work and the extraordinary ideas that were envisaged: the manes of the giraffes would be flame-fuelled by gasoline delivered through the reins leading to the urchin, the mirrors would have live ants crawling inside them, the sinks in the bathrooms would depict a bearded man whose tongue would dispense perfume and the ashtrays would sit upon live turtles roaming the nightclub floor.

Fig. 1, Salvador Dali, Girafe en feu, mixed media on paper, Private Collection. Sold: Sotheby's, New York, 4th November 2009, lot 1