Product Description

Picasso called Dali "an outboard motor that's always running." Dali thought himself a genius with a right to indulge in whatever lunacy popped into his head. Painter, sculptor, writer, and filmmaker, Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the century's greatest exhibitionists and eccentrics - and was rewarded with fierce controversy wherever he went. He was one of the first to apply the insights of Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis to the art of painting, approaching the subconscious with extraordinary sensitivity and imagination. This lively monograph presents the infamous Surrealist in full color and in his own words. His provocative imagery is all here, from the soft watches to the notorious burning giraffe. A friend of the artist for over thirty years, privy to the reality behind Dali's public image, author Robert Descharnes is uniquely qualified to analyze Dali - both the man and the myth.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15991 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 780 pages

Review
"Bound to become the standard reference work..." Le Figaro, Paris"

About the Author
Robert Descharnes, a photographer and writer, has published studies of major artists, among them Antoni Gaudi and Auguste Rodin. Since 1950, he has been documenting and cataloguing Dali's paintings and writings, and is now considered the leading expert on the artist. Shortly before Dali's death, Descharnes was appointed by him to take charge of the rights to his works, within the Societe Demart Pro Arte B.V., of which Descharnes is president. Gilles Neret was an art historian, journalist, writer, and museum correspondent. He organized several art retrospectives in Japan and founded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein Gallery in Tokyo. He directed art reviews such as L'Oeil and Connaissance des Arts and received the Elie Faure Prize in 1981 for his publications. Neret is the editor of TASCHEN's catalogues raisonnes of the works of Monet and Velazquez, as well as the author of Dali - The Paintings and Erotica Universalis. He died on August 3, 2005.

Customer Reviews

Absolutely Spellbinding !!
This is an incredible 2 volume "masterwork" of Dali. It is huge and heavy and totally comprehensive. The print quality (Taschen quality)is superb and there appears to be everything included that Dali has ever created - all in chronological order. His output is staggering and encompasses a massive period of time. The first paintings include elements of French Impressionism with pictures similar to Cezanne and Monet etc etc. Gradually the style changes until it becomes the weird and wonderful, the brilliant and bizarre, the product of a mind half crazy and half supremely talented. The man is amazing - his style utterly mind bending. He has so much more artistic skill than those persons who currently peddle "modern art" consisting of a few lines and a few shapes and a splat of paint here and there. I would describe Dali as a Picasso who has had an artistic licence "bomb" exploded in him. Talent surges out in all directions - blindly and madly but oh so beautifully and perfectly executed. Everything that makes great Art is here. If you never ever buy any other book on art then buy this one. Enter the world that I've just stepped into - and you will never want to leave again !! Just Brilliant !

A lifetime of work from a genius
This is a truly great book to have in any home. If you do decide to purchase you will find your self getting lost in every page

its a must have