Salvador Dalí

Galerie Kalb, Vienna
Gallery 25, New York
Julien Aime, New York (acquired from the above)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Robert Descharnes & Gilles Néret, Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989: The Paintings, 1946-1989, Germany, 1994, vol. II, no. 1283, illustrated in colour p. 574

Executed on card. There is a 1cm. area of surface wear to the lower left corner and two tiny support losses towards the upper left corner. There is a 1cm. repaired nick to the left of the upper edge and there is a nailhead-sized support loss towards the centre of the upper left quadrant, both visible in the catalogue illustration. Apart from some paint shrinkage and minor losses to areas of very thick impasto, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Mad, Mad, Mad Minerva derives from a series of works which Dalí created in the late 1960's entitled Memories of Surrealism. The works were a meditation on the artist's collaboration with the Surrealists before the Second World War and represented a mature reinterpretation of the movement's tenets.

Dalí spent the duration of World War II in the United States and strengthened his international reputation. During the years following the war, he effectively separated himself from the Surrealists and cultivated a singular and mature artistic voice. An important element of his post-war output was a focus on the art of the Classical period up through to the masters of the Renaissance. This is revealed in the present work through the Classical sculpture of a female head that Dalí includes in the form of collage. The medium of collage had an important place in the scope of 20^th Century art, particularly to the Dadaists and Surrealists, and Dalí makes an explicit reference to this precedent in Mad, Mad, Mad Minerva. This work represents an intersection of the unbounded and youthful fervency of the Surrealists with the mature knowledge of an established artist.