LOT WITHDRAWN

Pen & ink on paper by Salvador Dali, the popular surrealist who is one of the most important artists of the 20th Century. Large and impressive work depicts his wife and muse, Gala Dali. Spheres are orbiting her as if she were the center of the world - or at least Dali's world. Created in 1952, this was the same year and is in stark similarity to his masterwork "Galatea of the Spheres". Here, Gala Dali is orbited by the same spheres as “Galatea” - they serve as her breasts, her eyes, and even one broken sphere, perhaps to signify the brokenness within us all. At the center of her, her womb, is a sphere that shines with rays of holiness as if she is the spherical Madonna carrying the Christ child. She is holy, with a halo above her head. She is essentially god-like, a spherical Madonna, the center of creation. Spheres were a major focus of Dali, he described the atom as his "favorite food for thought." He had been greatly interested in nuclear physics since the first atomic bomb explosions of August 1945. Recognizing that matter was made up of atoms which did not touch each other, he sought to replicate this in his art at the time, most strongly conveyed in this piece. Here the items are suspended and not contacting each other, such as in The Madonna of Port Lligat. The painting was also symbolic of his attempt to reconcile his renewed faith in Catholicism with nuclear physics. That is of course perfectly characterized in this piece as well. Furthermore, here she stands with the same lines on the plane seen in many Dali works which enhance the dreamlike state of surrealism. She holds a book signifying her great wisdom or knowledge. As in "Galatea of the Spheres" her hair is detached from her, twined like the Medusa, her twirling dress flowing from her womanliness. The piece itself measures 19x26”, beautifully framed to overall 27x33”and in exceptional condition. Originally owned by an important collector who bought it in 1989 from one of the top galleries in Beverly Hills for $100,000.