The Dalí Renaissance: New Perspectives on His Life and Art after 1940

Softcover
236 pages, 6 ½ x 9 3/8 in.
90 b/w illus.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2008
ISBN 9780300136470

Perhaps the best-known artist of the international Surrealist movement, Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) transformed his dreams and personal obsessions into some of the most original and arresting images of the twentieth century. While the Surrealist works from his early years are widely known and admired, Dalí’s controversial late works, often inspired by science and religion, have been given a different reception. In this important book, experts provide a revisionist account of the last five decades of the artist’s career.

The Dalí Renaissance explores a wide range of topics from this period, including the artist’s fascination with religion and popular culture, his “Nuclear Mysticism” lecture tour of the midwestern United States, and his influence on film, photography, design, and fashion. Based on an international symposium held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the volume also features an enlightening discussion between two of Dalí’s former companions, Ultra Violet and Amanda Lear, that provides a glimpse into his personal life and working methods.

Michael R. Taylor is the Muriel and Philip Berman Curator of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art.