Dali Museum - Commemorative Guide to Morse Collection (1982)

Salvador Dali Museum
St. Petersburg, Florida
Commemorative Guide to Morse Collection (1982)

This guide contains content identical to the "short catalog," with just a few exceptions, and small amount of additional content (all of which are pictured below).

The additional content is found at the first two pages and at the final page of the guide.  The first two pages are a brief synopsis of Dali's life from birth to death, and contain a rarely seen wedding portrait of Salvador and Gala Dali (1958).  The final page of the guide is a brief statement about the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, and features a picture of the (now former) museum building.

As far as the content common with the "short catalog," this guide has two reproductions in color that are reproduced in black and white in the "short catalog."  One of these is a full-page color reproduction of Nieuw Amsterdam (1974, oil painting on bronze bust).

So, it would seem that of the two versions of this guide, this 1982 printing is superior because of its extra three pages of content and its two color reproductions in place of black and white.

This guide is a diminutive 8.25" sq. in size, and an unpaginated 25 pages in length.

It is replete with photos and reproductions on every page, and notably, the color reproductions are stunning in their excellent print quality and color reproduction.

The text is a synopsis of the Morse family's initial interest in Dali's art and how it blossomed into a friendship with Dali, and ultimately into one of the largest private collections of Dali's art in the world.  The story ends with a synopsis of how the St. Petersburg Dali museum came to be.

 

Of interest is a nice color reproduction of The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft, which can be used as a table (1934) in actual size.

All-in-all, a neat little book.  I received this copy tucked inside of A Portfolio of Works from the Salvador Dali Museum that I purchased online.  What a great little treasure!

If I didn't already own this publication, I would probably not seek it out unless I could buy it for fewer than $10 delivered.  Average online prices for this book are around $14 delivered.

Or, just look to pick it up along with a book or museum portfolio purchase like I did.

Note: for additional pictures, see my review of the "short catalog."