John Peter Moore, London (acquired directly from the artist)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Vienna, Palais Auersperg; Perpignan, Palais des Rois de Majorque & Zurich, Seedamm-Kulturzentrum; Salvador Dalí, Bilder, Zeichnungen, Objekte, Eine Austellung des Museu Perrot-Moore, Cadaques, 1982, no. 55, illustrated in the catalogue

The wood panel is sound. The surface is slightly dirty and there are some minor scattered stains. There are visible vertical striations in the surface of the panel on the left side of the composition. There is a loss to the panel in the extreme upper left corner which has been visibly inpainted, and there are some minor nicks to the extreme perimeter of the panel. There is a .25 inch scuff below the sitter's left breast and there are two areas of minor loss to the blue pigments below the sitter's left elbow. Under Uv light: there are strokes of inpainting in the extreme upper left corner to address the aforementioned loss. There are some strokes of light cosmetic retouching along the right side of the sitter's neck, to the blue below her elbow and to the center of the lower edge. There are some scattered minor pindot strokes in the upper right corner and in the lower left background. The work is in overall 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.
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.

The present painting is a study for Dalí’s seminal work Leda Atomica (1949) in the collection of the Dalí Theatre and Museum in Figueres, Spain (see fig. 1). As typical in the artist’s practice, Dalí’s wife and muse Gala is cast in the central role of the composition—here as the long-suffering Leda of Greek mythology suspended in mid-air. She is portrayed facing the viewer straight on, compositionally flanked by the rocks of Cap Norfeu along the Catalan coast, close to Cadaqués where Dalí frequently found inspiration. In the present lot, the gentle waters of the Mediterranean are suggested by the field of cerulean blue behind Gala stretching from one end of the canvas to the other. The peaceful image belies one of the subjects of the painting—Dalí’s meditation on the existential dread settling across the globe in the wake of the detonation of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Gala was a commanding force in Dalí's career, and her influence permeated every aspect of his art.  She is ever-present in his paintings, be it as the model, the titular reference or even the artist's signature, which was often rendered as the couple's combined name, GalaDalí. Her influence was not limited to Dalí's painting. She served as his liaison within the commercial world and also as his spokesperson. During their time together, she had become the embodiment of his art, and it is her magisterial aura that reigns supreme in Dalí's picture here. The artist discussed their relationship thus: “She is the rarest being to see, the superstar who cannot in any case be compared with La Callas or Greta Garbo, because one may see them often, whereas Gala is an invisible being, the anti-exhibitionist par excellence. At Salvador Dalí’s home, there are two prime ministers; one is my wife, Gala, and the other is Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dalí and Gala are the two unique beings capable of mathematically moderating and exalting my divine madness” (Robert Descharnes, Salvador Dalí, New York, 1976, p. 142).

This painting was once in the collection of John Peter Moore, a one💖-time British air force pilot who met Dalí in 1955. He often ac💟ted as the artist’s manager and was instrumental in the creation of the Dalí Theater and Museum.