SALVADOR DALÍ | La Sphère attaque la pyramide (étude)

Perls Galleries, New York
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 11, 1994, lot 248
Galería Guereta, Barcelona
Waddington Galleries, London
Private collection (acquired from the above in 2000 and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 25, 2009, lot 171)
Private collection, Europe (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 7, 2013, lot 181)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Executed on black wove paper, not laid down and affixed to the mount along the verso of all four edges. The sheet is undulating. There are a few small areas of paper infill along the edges of the sheet: in each of the lower corners, at the centre of the lower edge and along the upper part of the left edge. There are a few repaired tears (the longest of which is approx. 4 cm long) along the extreme edges notably to the upper left corner, to the right part of the upper edge and to the centre of the lower edge. 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."

This work is a preparatory study for the cover of the catalogue for the Salvador Dalí exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1939.

"Life Magazine reported his latest triumph: 'no exhibition had been so popular since Whistler's Arrangement in Black and Grey No. 1: The Artist's Mother was shown in 1934. The crowd gaped open-mouthed at pictures with bewildering titles like Debris of an Automobile Giving Birth to a Blind Horse Biting a Telephone or The One-Eyed Idiot. A fortnight later, Dalí, one of the richest young painters in the world, had sold 21 of his works to private collectors for over $25,000.'"
Robert Descharnes & Gilles Néret, Salvador Dalí, The Paintings: 1904-1989, Cologne, 1994, vol. I, p. 322-323.

Nicolas and Olivier Descharnes have kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.