Lot 346
  • 346

Salvador Dalí

Estimate
180,000 - 250,000 USD
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Description

  • Salvador Dalí
  • Aliyah
  • Signed Dalí and dated 1966 (lower right)
  • Gouache, watercolor, felt-tip pen and crayon on card
  • 20 1/8 by 15 3/4 in.
  • 51.1 by 40.1 cm

Provenance

Florence Konner, New Jersey
Acquired from the estate of the above

Condition

The colors are bright and fresh. The top edge is deckled. The exposed areas of the sheet near the lower right corner are slightly dirty. There are a few small areas of loss in the thickest ares of gouache near the upper right and lower left corners. Otherwise fine. Overall this work is in very 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.

Catalogue Note

The present work became the icon of Dalí’s Aliyah, The Rebirth of Israel series because of the palpable emotive energy and Zionistic fervor the figure exudes. To commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the State of Israel, and to commemorate the Six-Day War of 1967, Dalí created a portfolio of twenty-five mixed media works to illustrate the meaning of “aliyah,” drawing inspiration from the Old Testament as well as contemporary history (see fig. 1). In Hebrew, “aliyah” means to ascend, and in both Biblical and secular Jewish thought “aliyah” refers to ascending to the land of Jerusalem or to modern day Israel. Here, the pioneering figure proudly cloaks himself with the modern day Israeli flag and tilts his head skyward with defiance and pride. The sculptural physique of the figure owes its origin to the figures in the Altar of Zeus in the Temple of Pergamum, and a similar figure is depicted his mammoth masterpiece Tuna Fishing (see fig. 2), thus suggesting that in 1968, two years after the painting’s completion, the work that he viewed as a culmination of his artistic styles was still very much on his mind.