The Fantastic Universe of Salvador DALI (1989).

The Fantastic Universe of Salvador DALI

Catalog of 14 limited edition suites exhibited July-September 1989 at the Salle Gaveau in Paris.
Editeur ARTCO-FRANCE
DEMART PRO ARTE (1989).

As my Salvador Dali book library grows, books like this become less useful, though they are nontheless artistically appreciable.

The main substance of this catalog are the Dali reproductions taken from various suites of engravings, etchings, lithographs, etc.  Most of the suites are reproduced in color at a decent size of about a quarter-page.

You will find all of these images in the Field catalog, albeit at a lesser quality (my primary gripe with the official Dali print catalog).

You will also find most of these suites reproduced among the combination of two other fine publications: Dali: A Fifty Year Retrospective (Silverstate Fine Art, 2001) and Dali Sculptor - Dali Illustrator (Stratton Foundation, 1989).

It is worthwhile to note that the two above catalogs contain numerous other reproductions as well, making both of them a great resource for any Dali aficionado.

The only suites not covered in the above books, making The Fantastic Universe of Salvador DALI unique in this respect are:

• The Castle of Otranto (12 etchings reproduced in b&w);
• The Poems of Mao Tse-Tung (8 etchings reproduced in b&w);

• Cassandra's Lovers (18 etchings reproduced in b&w);
• The Furred Venus (20 etchings reproduced in b&w);
• Paradise Lost (12 etchings reproduced in color);
• The Quest of the Grail (12 etchings reproduced in color);
• Nine Landscapes (9 etchings reproduced in b&w).

If all of the above were in color, I would be gushing over this book.

Nevertheless, additional hilights are:

• Le Tricorne (20 engravings reproduced in color);
• The Divine Comedy (100 engravings reproduced in color);
• L'Art D'Aimer (13 engravings reproduced in color);
• SNCF Posters (6 in color);
• Moses and Monotheism (10 lithographs and etchings reproduced in color).

Let us not forget the unique cover photo of Dali.  I have never seen that picture reproduced elsewhere.

All-in-all, a neat little book filled with some great reproductions, some not commonly reproduced elsewhere.

The book is relatively rare and you can expect to pay more than $40 for a nice copy.