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Dimensions: measurements 5 7/8 by 3 1/2 in. alternate measurements 13.7 by 9 cm
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Provenance: Gala & Paul Eluard, Paris Albert Field, New York Acquired from the estate of the above by the present owner
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Literature: Fleur Cowles, The Case of Salvador Dalí, London, 1959, illustrated p. 96Max Gérard, Dalí, New York, 1968, no. 33, illustrated in color
Robert Descharnes, Salvador Dalí, New York, 1976, illustrated in color p. 103Paul Eluard, Letters to Gala, New York, 1989Robert Descharnes, Salvador Dalí, The Work, The Man, New York, 1984, illustrated in color p. 107
Ignacio Gómez de Liaño, Dalí, New York, 1984, no. 41, illustrated in colorRobert Descharnes & Gilles Néret, Salvador Dalí, 1904-1989. The Paintings, Volume I, 1904-1946, Cologne, 1994, no. 380, illustrated in color p. 170
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Notes: PROPERTY FROM A NEW YORK PRIVATE COLLECTION
"I love Gala more than my mother, more than my father, more than Picasso and even more than money" (Salvador Dali) Dating from 1931, Dalí's first portrait of his lifelong companion and muse Gala is a fascinating work documenting what became one of the most legendary relationships in 20υth century art. Gala (1894-1982) was born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova in Russia, and as a young woman spent time in Moscow, Switzerland and Paris. In 1915 he met the poet Paul Eluard, and the two married in 1917. Through Eluard, with whom she lived in Paris, Gala met a number of artists and writers, and soon became a source of inspiration to many of them, including André Breton and Louis Aragon. Dalí and Gala met in 1929, around the time when the artist was staying in Paris where he assisted Luis Buñuel with the filming of Un Chien Andalou. During his stay in the capital, Dalí came in contact with the Surrealists and invited them to visit him in Cadaqués in the summer. Among those who spent the summer with Dalí were Gala and Paul Eluard with their daughter Cécile, as well as Buñuel and René Magritte with his wife. According to Robert Descharnes, during this meeting "Dali fell madly in love with Gala Eluard, and the legendary couple Gala/Dali was born. Gala proved to be not only his lifelong companion and the inspiration for his work, she also filled him with exaltation and strength. It was she who enabled him to free himself from the prejudices, doubts, and hesitations that were tearing him apart; it was she who helped him attain all his goals" (R. Descharnes, op. cit., 1984, p. 85). As Robert Descharnes commented: "At the time, Gala was everything to him. Gala followed him everywhere, defended him, and protected him against others and against himself. He could hardly believe it: 'The idea that in my own room where I was going to work there might be a woman, a real woman who moved, with senses, body hair and gums, suddenly struck me as so seductive that it was difficult for me to believe this could be realized.'" (R. Descharnes & G. Néret, op. cit., p. 174). This fascination with his companion is beautifully reflected in the present work. The photographic portrait of Gala, who is looking straight at the viewer, is embellished with flowing colorful hair. The imagery that surrounds her, characteristic of Dalí's iconography during this period, suggests the artist's erotic attraction to the model. The artist's typical finesse and precision of execution, coupled with the delicate size of the work, imbues this portrait with a jewel-like quality.
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