Salvador Dalí

signed and dated 1941
photomontage and watercolour on paper
30.5cm by 22.9cm

M. Knoedler & Co., New York
Mrs Lucille B. Mangan (sale: Christie's, London, 2nd May 1969, lot 20)
Private Collection (purchased at the above sale)
Marlborough Fine Art Ltd., London
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 1982)
Thence by descent to the present owners

Executed on wove paper, laid down on thick cream wove paper and hinged to the overmount at the centre of the upper edge. There are several pin holes towards the extreme edges, some tape remnants at the upper and lower parts of the right and left edges and some adhesive residue along the right edge. The sheet is slightly time-stained. There are faint framing instructions written along the right edge, visible when framed. This work is in overall 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. 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."

Salvador Dalí’s meteoric rise to fame in popular culture earned him a celebrity reputation as ‘the first pop star of painting’ (Vincent Pécoil in Tate Etc, Spring 2005, vol. III). Dalí was incomparably savvy when it came to self-promotion and publicity; he designed front covers for Vogue, Town and Country and American Weekly and even launched his own newspaper Dalí News (a play on the New York Daily News) dedicated to his exhibitions, paintings and his other creative explorations. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that on moving to New York in the 1940s he was inundated with commercial assignments. In addition to his covers for Vogue, for which he once edited a whole edition, he assisted in jewellery design as well as advertising for lipstick, perfume, paints and tea. Perhaps one of his most recognisable designs is the daisy-shaped logo for Chupa Chups lolly pops which has barely changed since.

Notable also among his advertising projects was his work for Bryan Hosiery, a firm which used newly developed and highly acclaimed synthetic fabric fashioned from nylon. Dalí created fifteen designs for the company, all featuring collage elements and playful arrangements of elegant interlocking legs. These designs appeared monthly in Harper’s Bazaar as full-page colour advertisements and the present work is one of the most successful and accomplished of these designs. Set against a serene classicising and architectural background, brick pillars merge seamlessly into long structured legs and interweave with further stocking-clad legs: a patchwork of seduction and elegance. Salvador Dalí’s very particular and fevered imagination transforms an illustration of a commonplace product into a surreal landscape of adventure and intrigue, testament to his reputation as a master of contemporary media.