The Argillet Collection - TRIAD ART GROUP

DALÍThe Argillet Collection

DaliCover~1_Layout 1 7/26/18 11:20 AM

SALVADOR DALÍ(1904-1989)

Dali-Pg1-51-final_Layout 1 6/27/18 4:51 PM Page 1

© TRIAD ART GROUP, INC. AND JEAN CHRISTOPHE ARGILLET

ISBN: 978-0-9814577-9-6


3

Biography 5The Pierre Argillet Collection 8The Century of Dalí by Jean Christophe Argillet 10Mythology 12Surrealistic Bullfight 18The ‘Secret Poems’ of Apollinaire 22Petit Nu from ‘Secret Poems’ of Apollinaire 25Poems by Mao Tse-Toung 27Les Amours de Cassandre by Ronsard 30Faust 33Fantomes 37Magiciens 39Venus in Furs 41Les Hippies 46Don Juan 50Individual Etchings 52Les Chants de Maldoror 60Aubusson Tapestry 65

TABLE OF CONTENTS


5

Dalí, Salvador (1904-1989): Spanish painter, sculp-

tor, graphic artist, and designer. After passing

through phases of Cubism, Futurism and Meta-

physical painting, he joined the Surrealists in 1929

and his talent for self-publicity rapidly made him

the most famous representative of the movement.

Throughout his life he cultivated eccentricity and

exhibitionism (one of his most famous acts was

appearing in a diving suit at the opening of the

London Surrealist exhibition in 1936), claiming

that this was the source of his creative energy.

He took over the Surrealist theory of automatism

but transformed it into a more positive method

which he named ‘critical paranoia.’

According to this theory one should cultivate

genuine delusion as in clinical paranoia while

remaining residually aware at the back of one’s

mind that the control of the reason and will has

been deliberately suspended. He claimed that this

method should be used not only in artistic and

poetical creation but also in the affairs of daily

life. His paintings employed a meticulous academic

technique that was contradicted by the unreal

‘dream’ space he depicted and by the strangely

hallucinatory characters of his imagery. He de-

scribed his pictures as ‘hand-painted dream pho-

tographs’ and had certain favorite and recurring

images, such as the human figure with half-open

drawers protruding from it, burning giraffes,

and watches bent and flowing as if made from

melting wax (The Persistence of Memory, MoMA,

New York; 1931).

Dalí seated on his throne, Port Lligat circa 1963 by P. Argillet.

Dalí on his patio, Port Lligat circa 1969 by P. Argillet.

SALVADOR DALÍ

(1904 – 1989)


6

He moved to the USA in 1940 and remained there

until 1955. During this time he devoted himself largely

to self-publicity; his paintings were often on religious

themes (The Crucifixion of Saint John of the Cross,

Glasgow Art Gallery, 1951), although sexual subjects

and pictures centering on his wife Gala were also con-

tinuing preoccupations. In 1955 he returned to Spain

and in old age became a recluse.

Apart from painting, Dalí’s output included sculpture,

book illustration, jewellery design, and work for

SALVADOR DALÍ

Dalí took over the Surrealist theory of automatism but transformed it into a more positive method which he named ‘critical paranoia.’

the theatre. In collaboration with the director Luis

Buñuel he also made the first Surrealist films

—Un Chien Andalou (1929) and L’Age d’Or (1930)

—and he contributed a dream sequence to Alfred

Hitchcock’s Spellbound (1945). He also wrote a novel,

Hidden Faces (1944) and several volumes of flamboy-

ant autobiography. He is undoubtedly one of the

most famous and influential artists of the 20th

Century. There are museums devoted to Dalí’s work

in Figueras, his home town in Spain, and in St.

Petersburg in Florida.

Dalí conversing with the Buddhist monk, Port Lligat 1969 by P. Argillet.


7

SALVADOR DALÍ

Dalí and Geneviève Argillet in Dalí’s studio 1960. Photo Pierre Argillet.

Dalí with Geneviève Argillet walking on the “Milky Way,”Port Lligat summer 1960 by P. Argillet.

Dalí on his Patio, Port Lligat circa 1965 by P. Argillet.


8

Pierre Argillet was an avid collector of works by

Futurists, Dadaists and Surrealists, and very early

on, met the major artists of the 20th century.

In 1930, at the age of twenty, Argillet was deeply

impressed by the Chants de Maldoror by Comte

de Lautréamont. He began a spiritual journey

along a path that was originated by Rimbaud and

later pursued by Lautréamont, Marinetti, Breton,

Tzara and de Chirico. He counted Duchamp and

Jean Arp among his acquaintances, but when he

met Dalí, complicity led to a life-long friendship

that lasted until the painter’s death in 1989.

Be it luck or fate, Dalí’s delicious vision led to a

long and fruitful collaboration between artist

and publisher. They produced nearly 200 etchings

together, “Mythology” (16 engravings), “Christ,”

“Sainte-Anne,” and “Incantation,” to name a few.

In 1966, Dalí reworked seven pieces of the

“Bullfight” set of Picasso, giving them his macabre,

yet humorous vision. Images hidden in the crowd

and arena suggest the skull of a bull fighter. In

another etching, a galloping giraffe catches fire

as if in a tragicomedy. His subjects vary from wind-

mills, parrots and fish to a statue of a woman.

In 1968, Dalí illustrated “Night de Walpurgis”

of Faust (21 engravings) using rubies and

diamonds as engraving tools, a technique that

lent an incomparable delicacy to the design; next

came the “Poemes of Ronsard” (18 engravings)

and “Apollinaire” (18 engravings). In 1969, Dalí

created “Venus in Furs” (20 engravings) after

Sacher Masoch, and between 1970-71, the

“Suites of Don Juan” (3 engravings) and “Hippies”

(11 engravings). They acquired a widespread audi-

ence, but they were also subject to more criticism.Pierre Argillet and Dalí signing a Mythology subject circa 1966 at Hotel Meurice, Paris, by Marc Lacroix.

Geneviève Argillet and Dalí signing at Hotel Meurice circa 1968 by Marc Lacroix.

THEPIERRE ARGILLET

COLLECTION


In 1974, artist and publisher parted ways. Pierre

Argillet would only accept etchings done in the

traditional way, on copper, and refused to go along

with Dalí’s desire to make photo-based lithographs.

By using this process, Dalí went on to produce a large

number of works that appealed to a more widespread

audience than ever before, but they were also subject

to more criticism.

The Pierre Argillet Collection demonstrates

high standards of quality, and the impassioned

collaboration between an artist and his publisher. This

ensemble of works has appeared in some of the best

known museums in the world. Among them Musée

Boijmans, Rotterdam; Musée Pushkin, Moscow;

Reynolds-Morse Foundation, St. Petersburg, FL;

Kunsthaus, Zürich and Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart; Isetan

Museum of Art in Tokyo; Daimaru Art Museum,

Osaka; Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art,

Japan; and Modern Art Museum, Céret, France.

This collection’s permanent home was formerly at

the Museum of Surrealism in Melun, France.

THE PIERRE ARGILLET COLLECTION

Gala, Dalí and Pierre Argillet in 1963 for the presentation of the Mythology series, Paris, by unknown photographer.

P. Argillet, Dalí and the alive snake mustaches in 1963 for the presentation of the Mythology series in

Paris by unknown photographer.The Pierre Argillet Collectiondemonstrates high standards

of quality, and the impassioned collaboration between an artist and his publisher.

9


10

Approaching Salvador Dalí through stories and anec-

dotes presents no great difficulty to me, for it has been

principally from this angle that I have had the honor

and privilege of associating with this great genius of

the 20th century.

My principle scream at birth was not “DALÍ,” but he

must have been on the tip of my tongue, for a first

memory, told to me much later and which I in turn shall

now tell, dates from only two hours after my arrival.

On the 22nd of May 1966, at 2 p.m. to be precise, a

certain Pierre Argillet announces, beamingly, the birth

JC Argillet in front of pre-Columbian works, Paris, 2017. Photograph by Michel Gurfinkel.

THE CENTURY OF DALÍBY JEAN CHRISTOPHE ARGILLET

of his son to the Devine Dalí. The latter, in the process

of leaving his apartment at the Meurice for lunch

at Ledoyen and already in his overcoat, stops in his

tracks to ask for a copperplate and a ruby burin. Leaning

on his left arm, folded, yet still holding his cane, he

engraves the plate, standing all the while.

For twenty minutes he incises, in this most uncomfort-

able of positions, a very beautiful couple in very fine

detail, later to become the frontispiece of the

Apollinaire series, but originally an improvised gift to

a friend and editor, a souvenir to celebrate the arrival

of his newborn babe.


11

Pierre and Geneviève Argillet, my parents, met Dalí

in 1959 to commission an original copper engraving

for their first illustrated art book. Their admiration

for this artist was boundless, and luckily, they hit it

off. Twenty years later, this initial illustration for the

Poetic Incantation, has given way to some two hundred

others, and the Argillet couple rank, thanks as much

to the quality as to the quantity of subjects treated,

as the top editor of the artist’s engravings. My father’s

Rolleiflex camera, often within reach in reminiscence

of his young reporter days, was also allowed to

immortalize on film several exceptional moments spent

with the Master.

One immediate consequence of this intensive, long-

lasting collaboration was my submersion from the

start in the Dalí elixir. Not a day went by without

Dalí’s name buzzing in my ears. Much as fairy tales

or fantastic epics are recounted from one generation

to the next, I, as a child and adolescent, was brought

up on tales of Dalí.

THE CENTURY OF DALÍ

Though I must admit, at the time all this left me rela-

tively indifferent. I no more understood the signifi-

cance of the wealth of engravings stacked in different

rooms of the house, than I did the visits of the mous-

tached Monsieur with the cane, arriving and leaving

in that enormous Cadillac. At the age of six or seven,

I was far more interested in playing football with him,

or in sprinkling the elegant lady at this side (Gala in her

Chanel suit) with the garden hose, deaf to my parents’

efforts to pacify me. “Let him be,” the Master would say,

“it proves he has character.”

Finally old enough to realize just who Salvador Dalí

was, and more than ever keen to approach the person-

age, it was illness, long agony and finally death that

estranged him little by little from my universe. So,

unlike my parents who met him in his prime, my

impressions of the man stem from childhood memories

and from a familiarity with his works and public life,

but even more those dozens and dozens of stories

heard over and over again for so long.

Dalí and JC Argillet in Château de Vaux le Pénil, 1975.Photographer unknown.

JC Argillet in front of pre-Columbian works, Paris, 2017. Photograph by Michel Gurfinkel.


12

Dalí illustrated Mythology by drawing very closely upon the symbolism of the ancient Greek legends. Using

what he called “hazard objectif” (the meaningful manifestation of chance), he would often start with an abstract

smudge, created in a single motion. He developed his theme from this sign of Fate, like the Pythia of Delphi who

interpreted the Oracle from the smoke coming out of the cave. This is particularly noticeable in his etchings

entitled: “Oedipus and Sphinx,” “Theseus and Minotaurus,” “Jupiter,” “Pegasus” and “The Milky Way.” When Dalí

worked on these plates, he experimented with all kinds of unusual tools like chisels, nails or wheels. For the

“Medusa,” he imprinted onto the copper plate a real octopus immersed in acid.

The Mythology Suite consists of 16 mixed media prints incorporating engraving and drypoint etching, with

hand-coloring, 22 x 30 inches. Published between 1963–1965. Edition size: 1-150 signed and numbered

on Arches, I-XX EA on Japanese paper and I-C on Japanese paper.

One of mythology’s most recognized creatures, Pegasus, was a winged stallion and son of Poseidon, born of theGorgon Medusa. Poseidon is best known as the god of the sea but is also the god of horses.

SALVADOR DALÍ

MYTHOLOGY

Salvador Dalí, Pegasus (Pégase) – ML/Argillet #128; Fields # 63-3 B


The goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite had become involved in a competition to judge the greatest beauty. Zeus deferred as judge and made the mortal Paris the judge. In an attempt to win, the goddesses bribed Paris, and Aphrodite won after promising Paris the most beautifulwoman in the world. Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta, escaped with her love Paris and this is the story of the beginning of the Trojan War.

The son of inventor Daedalus had wings made of wax andfeathers which allowed him to fly. His father warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, but in Icarus’ complacency and hubris he flew too high and his wings melted and he plummeted into the sea where he drowned.

MYTHOLOGY

13

Salvador Dalí, Judgement of Paris (Le Judgement de Paris) ML/Argillet #123; Fields # 63-3 I

Salvador Dalí, Icarus (Vol et Chute d’Icare) ML/Argillet #121; Fields # 63-3 C


Leda, wife of Tyndareau, the King of Sparta, was seduced by Zeus disguised in the form of a swan. Leda then bore Zeus’ children Helenand Polydeuces at the same time as bearing her husband’s children Castor and Clytemnestra.

A hunter known for his beauty, son of a Greek rivergod, Narcissus was excessively proud and distainedthose who loved him. He continued to look at himself in a pool to see his reflection, and he staredso long that he lost the will to live.

Venus, the Roman goddess of love, sex, beauty andfertility was born from the sea, after Uranus was castrated by his sons, and fell to the sea.

14

MYTHOLOGY

Salvador Dalí, Leda and Swan (Léda et le Cygne) ML/Argillet #126; Fields # 63-3 M

Salvador Dalí, Narcissus (Narcisse) ML/Argillet #124; Fields # 63-3 H

Salvador Dalí, Birth of Venus (Naissance de Vénus) ML/Argillet #117; Fields # 63-3 E


Athena, the Greek goddess of war, wisdom, heroism and crafts. Born fromthe head of Zeus, Athena is namesake of Greece’s capital city of Athens.

Saturn, father of the Roman gods, similar toCronus in Greek mythology, is the god of agricul-ture, sowing and seed.

15

Oedipus is known more for the story of his marriage to his mother, while King of Thebes. But the story of the Sphinx precedes that of hismother, as in solving the Sphinx’s riddle and he became the King of Thebes.

MYTHOLOGY

Salvador Dalí, Athena (Athena) – ML/Argillet #130; Fields # 63-3 P

Salvador Dalí, Saturn (Saturne) ML/Argillet #118; Fields # 63-3 N

Salvador Dalí, Oedipus and Sphinx (Oedipe el le Sphinx)

ML/Argillet #120; Fields # 63-3 J


One of three primary Roman gods, the equivalent to the Greek god Poseidon. Neptune’s brothers areJupiter and Pluto.

The mythical Minotaur is half man and half bull. It was known to consume men sent into the Labyrinth where it was kept. Theseussailed off to slay the Minotaur and was successful, where so many hadfailed, because he used a thread as he entered the maze in order to retrace his steps back to safety.

16

The Roman god of the sky and thunder, Jupiter is theRoman equivalent to Zeus in Greek mythology (lightning bolt, eagle, oak tree).

MYTHOLOGY

Salvador Dalí, Jupiter (Jupiter) ML/Argillet #125; Fields # 63-3 K

Salvador Dalí, Neptune (Neptune) ML/Argillet #119; Fields # 63-3 O

Salvador Dalí, Theseus and the Minotaur (Thésée et le Minotaure) ML/Argillet #122; Fields # 63-3 L


Argus was a monster with many eyes, used as a guard by the gods. Hera, wife of Zeus, asked Argus to watch Io, Zeus’ mistress. Zeus then sent Hermes to dispatchArgus. As tribute, Hera placed his many eyes into the tail ofa peacock, her favorite bird.

Medusa was a Gorgon or winged woman with venomoussnake for hair, whose stare would turn men to stone until she was beheaded by Perseus. The depiction of Medusa hasbeen used throughout classical art to ward off evil.

Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep, lives in a land of eternal darkness. He is often depicted as a young man with wings,with a horn of opium or poppy stems.

17

Zeus fathered a son, Heracles, to a mortal woman, but he wanted Heracles to be divine. Zeus then brought him to nurse from his wife, the goddess Hera, while she was sleeping. Hera then woke to find a strange child at her breast and when pushing him away her milk sprayed the sky creating the Milky Way.

MYTHOLOGY

Salvador Dalí, Argus in Black (Argus) ML/Argillet #116; Fields # 63-3 A

Salvador Dalí, Milky Way (La Voie Lactée) ML/Argillet #129; Fields # 63-3 F

Salvador Dalí, Medusa (Meduse) ML/Argillet #131; Fields # 63-3 D

Salvador Dalí, Hypnos (Hypnos) ML/Argillet #127; Fields # 63-3 G


18

Inspired from Picasso’s “Tauromachie,” these etchings epitomize Dalí’s style with their burlesque touches.

A burning giraffe, a lion or a statue stand in the arena, while bishops are seen blessing macabre parades, where

the bull ends up in the grand piano. Parrots and fish turn into toreadors, meanwhile a hallucinogenic matador,

like a sad clown, gazes at the audience. Lastly, a huge monster coming out of a television set devours the

whole scene. A Catalan theme revisited by Picasso, then “Dalínized,” the “Surrealistic Bullfight”

is seen as a ghoulish, delirious farce.

Suite of 7 original etchings reworked in drypoint, with hand-coloring and stencil.

Published in 1966-67, 20 x 26 inches.

Edition size: 1-150 signed and numbered on Arches and I-C on Japanese paper.

SALVADOR DALÍ

SURREALISTIC BULLFIGHT

Salvador Dalí, Burning Giraffe (La Girafe en Feu) – ML/Argillet #159; Fields # 70-11 A



19

Salvador Dalí, Piano Under Snow (Le Piano Sous la Neige) – ML/Argillet #156; Fields # 70-11 F

Salvador Dalí, The Parrots (Les Perroquets) – ML/Argillet #157; Fields # 70-11 C



Salvador Dalí, The Windmills (Les Moulins) – ML/Argillet #155; Fields # 70-11 G

Salvador Dalí, The Statue (La Statue) – ML/Argillet #154; Fields # 70-11 E

20


21


Salvador Dalí, Bullfight with Drawers (Tauromachie au Tiroir) – ML/Argillet #160; Fields # 70-11 B

Salvador Dalí, Television (La Télévision) – ML/Argillet #158; Fields # 70-11 D


22

Guillaume Apollinaire is considered one of the most influen-

tial literary figures of the early 20th century. Beloved by

countless artists, his works have influenced several artistic

movements including Futurism, Cubism, Dadaism, and

Surrealism. Apollinaire’s life was cut short after succumbing

to illness after being wounded in World War I, which makes

his accomplishments that much more important. It is not

surprising that Dalí would have chosen his work as a subject

for his art. Dalí’s work was heavily influenced by literature.

Dalí’s initial plan was to illustrate a number of songs by

Georges Brassens, shown with his guitar on the first

etchings, reflecting the feminine body. However, the singer’s

agent recommended so many changes, that Dalí shifted

themes, and turned “Les Tranchées” into a military ground,

where time seems at a standstill, like “Montre Molle” rock.

Seeing in the plates a correlation with the 1914-1918 war,

Pierre Argillet suggested that Dalí illustrate instead the

“Secret Poems” by Apollinaire. From then on, the series

took a more unconventional, more Surrealist turn, with

compositions like “Woman with Snail,” “Woman at the

Fountain” which is covered by giant ants, and “Woman

with Guitar,” who ends up devouring the guitar.

A suite of 18 original etchings reworked in drypoint of

which 10 are 15 x 11 inches and 8 are vignettes. Published

in 1967. Edition size: 1-150 signed and numbered on

Arches and 1-145 on Japanese paper. The vignettes were

published in a separate edition of 95 on Japanese paper

and 150 on Arches.

Salvador Dalí, Frontispiece (Frontispice) ML/Argillet #189; Fields # 67-10 A

Salvador Dalí, The Drawers (Les Tiroirs) ML/Argillet #190; Fields # 67-10 I

SALVADOR DALÍ

‘SECRET POEMS’ OF APOLLINAIRE


23


Salvador Dalí, The 1914-18 War (Guerre de 1914-18)- ML/Argillet #193; Fields # 67-10 C

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Guitar (Femme à la Guitare) – ML/Argillet #194; Fields # 67-10 E

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Fountain (Femme à laFontaine) – ML/Argillet #198; Fields # 67-10 B

Salvador Dalí, Woman, Horse and Death (Femme,Cheval et la Mort) – ML/Argillet #197; Fields # 67-10 J


24


Salvador Dalí, The Beach at Sete (La Plage de Sète) ML/Argillet #191; Fields # 67-10 F

Salvador Dalí, The Trenches (Les Tranchées) ML/Argillet #192; Fields # 67-10 D

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Snail (Femme à L’Escargot) ML/Argillet #195; Fields # 67-10 G

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Parrot (Femme au Perroquet) – ML/Argillet #196; Fields # 67-10 H


25

Salvador Dalí, Petit Nu Apollinaire 4 (Petit Nu 4) ML/Argillet #202; Fields # 72-4 B

Salvador Dalí, Petit Nu Apollinaire 3 (Petit Nu 3) ML/Argillet #201; Fields # 72-4 J

Salvador Dalí, Petit Nu Apollinaire 2 (Petit Nu 2) ML/Argillet #200; Fields # 72-4 C

Salvador Dalí, Petit Nu Apollinaire 1 (Petit Nu 1) ML/Argillet #199; Fields # 72-4 I

PETITS NUSD’APOLLINAIRE


26

PETITS NUS D’APOLLINAIRE

Salvador Dalí, Petit Nu Apollinaire 8 (Petit Nu 8)

ML/Argillet #206; Fields # 72-4 G


ML/Argillet #205; Fields # 72-4 D


ML/Argillet #204; Fields # 72-4 E

Salvador Dalí, Petit Nu Apollinaire 5 (Petit Nu 5) ML/Argillet #203; Fields # 72-4 H


27

Mao Tse-Toung, the iconic figure and absolute leader

of Communist China and leader of the Cultural

Revolution in China, was also surprisingly a

calligrapher and graceful and eloquent poet. In the

midst of the Cultural Revolution in China, soon

followed by the May, 1968, riots in France, Pierre

Argillet brought the book of “Poems” by Mao Tse-Toung

to Dalí. Tickled, the artist decided to create eight

illustrations, some of which were political satires.

The “Hundred Flowers” are shown as towering fleurs-

de-lis, symbols of royalty, with people attempting to

reach them. Crowns emerge from the “River of Plenty.”

When Argillet asked Dalí why his “Bust of Mao” was

headless in a Chinese uniform, Dalí replied: “Well, the

man is so tall that he didn’t fit on the page!”—“And what

about these small dancing “Demons?”—“To the Chinese,

they are Japanese!”

The “Dragon” is a female monster, the “Three

Mountains of Peace” are hardly larger than rocks, and

the “Turtle Mountain,” shown as gigantic, antediluvian

animals, wander in the midst of excrements resembling

the Yin and Yang symbol. As to the splendid “Small

Horses,” their pirouettes call to mind the Renaissance

period, but also the longing for freedom.

Suite of 8 original etchings reworked in drypoint pub-

lished in 1967, 15 x 11 inches. Edition size: 1-150 signed

and numbered on Arches and 1-95 on Japanese paper.

Salvador Dalí, Bust of Mao (Le Buste de Mao) ML/Argillet #215; Fields # 67-1 A

Salvador Dalí, The Dragon (Le Dragon) ML/Argillet #210; Fields # 67-1 E

SALVADOR DALÍ

POEMS BYMAO TSE-TOUNG


28

POEMS BY

MAO TSE-TOUNG

Salvador Dalí, Mountain of Peace (Montagne de la Paix) ML/Argillet #216; Fields # 67-1 D

Salvador Dalí, River of Plenty (Le Fleuve d’Abondance) – ML/Argillet #213; Fields # 67-1 H

Salvador Dalí, Horses (Les Petits Chevaux) ML/Argillet #209; Fields # 67-1 F


29

Salvador Dalí, The Turtle Mountains (La Tortue)ML/Argillet #214; Fields # 67-1 C

Salvador Dalí, The Demons (Les Demons) ML/Argillet #211; Fields # 67-1 G

Salvador Dalí, 100 Flowers (Les Fleurs) ML/Argillet #212; Fields # 67-1 B

POEMS BY

MAO TSE-TOUNG


30

Pierre de Ronsard, Renaissance poet to royalty, is the

author of Les Amours de Cassandre. After years at court

he turned his attention to scholarly studies, focusing on

his great love of the Greek and Roman classics, and is

often depicted in a toga and laurel wreath.

In his rendition of Les Amours de Cassandre, Dalí

illustrates the favorite themes of the famous poet and

humanist from the French Renaissance. His wonderful

portrait of de Ronsard, wearing a toga and a wreath of

laurel, is a humorous reminder of the “Carpe diem: of

Epicurus.” Love, death and the passing of time, expressed

with much refinement and harmony in their association

with the cycles of nature, remind us of our vulnerability

as mortal beings. In L’Art Poetique, de Ronsard compared

poetry with painting: “the ear is the judge of the

structure of verse, while the eye is the judge of

brushstrokes.” Intuitively, he had opened the way to a

Dalínian interpretation.

Suite of 18 original etchings, some reworked in drypoint,

of which 10 are 15 x 11 inches and 8 are vignettes, pub-

lished in 1968. Edition size: 1-150 signed and numbered

on Arches, 1-95 on Japanese paper, and 30 EA.

Salvador Dalí, Picasso’s Horse (Le Cheval Picasso) ML/Argillet #249; Fields # 68-2 B

Salvador Dalí, The Fairy (La Fee) ML/Argillet #257; Fields # 68-2 J

SALVADOR DALÍ

LES AMOURSDE CASSANDRE

BY RONSARD

There are 8 vignettes Petits Nus from Ronsard, images of which arenot shown in this book.


31

LES AMOURS DE CASSANDRE

Salvador Dalí, Bicephalous (Bicephale) ML/Argillet #255; Fields # 68-2 H

Salvador Dalí, The Angler (Le Pécheur) ML/Argillet #256; Fields # 68-2 I

Salvador Dalí, Nude (Nu) ML/Argillet #250; Fields # 68-2 C

Salvador Dalí, Portrait of de Ronsard (Portrait de Ronsard) – ML/Argillet #248; Fields # 68-2 A


32

LES AMOURS DE CASSANDRE

Salvador Dalí, Couple with a Candle (Couple à laBougie) –ML/Argillet #251; Fields # 68-2 D

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Torch (Fille au Flambeau) ML/Argillet #252; Fields # 68-2 E

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Page Boy (Fille au Page) ML/Argillet #254; Fields # 68-2 G

Salvador Dalí, Weeping Willow (Le Saule Pleureur) ML/Argillet #253; Fields # 68-2 F


33

Goethe’s “Faust” is one of the most well-known

narratives in history. “Faust” is based on a real-life

astrologer and alche-

mist in northern Ger-

many in the fifteenth

century. The story of

Doctor Faust, a man

who sold his soul to

the devil in exchange

for power and knowl-

edge in life, is a cau-

tionary tale, warning

of the dangers of

pride, greed, the devil

on earth, witchcraft

and many other inter-

pretations of the evils

that man faces daily.

Faust has struck a

chord with genera-

tion after generation,

and is an allegory

used time and time

again. Dalí’s suite en-

titled Faust, is his in-

terpretation, just one

of hundreds of artists,

authors and directors

to have portrayed

their own version of

the story of Doctor

Faust.

SALVADOR DALÍ

FAUST

In the “Walpurgis Night,” brilliantly illustrated by

Dalí, the various scenes appear within a magic

circle, in a chiaroscuro

whose acme is most

likely the stunning

portrait of “Faust

Reading,” evocative

of Rembrandt’s etch-

ings. Alchemical signs,

formed by Dalí’s

inverted signature,

add an esoteric

dimension to this

exceptional interpre-

tation of Goethe’s

“Faust.”

Suite of 21 original

etchings with rou-

lette, published in

1968-1969. 15 x 11

inches, of which 10

are vignettes. Edition

size: 1-150 signed and

numbered on Arches

and 1-145 on Japan-

ese paper. Vignettes

etching edition size

1-100 signed and

numbered on Japan-

ese paper and 1-150

on Arches.

*The 10 vignettes (“Grotesque,” “Lily Flower,” “Reading Faust,” “The Illusionist,” “The Doe,” “Faust and Marguerite,” “Magic Circle,” “Spectre andRose,” “Silhouette” and “The Phiole”) are not listed in this book. There was a further edition of 100 impressions signed and numbered 1-100 onJapanese paper in the Fantomes portfolio (listed in this book) which consists of two images (“Grotesque” and “Magic Circle”) from Faust vignettes.The Magiciens portfolio (listed in this book) contains a further edition of 100 impressions signed and numbered 1-100 on Japanese paper ofthree images (“Reading Faust,” “The Illusionist” and “Spectre and Rose”) from Faust vignettes.

Salvador Dalí, Portrait of Marguerite (Le Portrait de Marguerite) ML/Argillet #298; Fields # 69-1 A


34

FAUST

Salvador Dalí, Golden Veal (Tête de Veau) ML/Argillet #306; Fields # 69-1 G

Salvador Dalí, Sator (Sator) ML/Argillet #304; Fields # 69-1 F

Salvador Dalí, Kneeling Knight (Cavalier à Genou) ML/Argillet #305; Fields # 69-1 K

Salvador Dalí, Knight and Death (Cavalier et la Mort) ML/Argillet #307; Fields # 69-1 H


35

FAUST

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Clown (Femme au Clown) ML/Argillet #302; Fields # 69-1 E

Salvador Dalí, Old Faust (Vieux Faust) ML/Argillet #303; Fields # 69-1 J

Salvador Dalí, The Bust (Le Buste) ML/Argillet #301; Fields # 69-1 D

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Pig (Femme au Cochon)ML/Argillet #299; Fields # 69-1 B


FAUST

36

Salvador Dalí, Hen Women (Femmes Poules)ML/Argillet #308; Fields # 69-1 I

Salvador Dalí, Witches with Broom (Sorcières au Balai) ML/Argillet #300; Fields # 69-1 C


37

Salvador Dalí, The Magic Circle (Cercle Magique) ML/Argillet #313; Fields # 68-14 D

SALVADOR DALÍ

FANTOMES


38

FANTOMES

Salvador Dalí, The Poet (La Poete) – ML/Argillet #375; Fields # 68-14 C (V)

Salvador Dalí, Grotesque (Grotesque) ML/Argillet #314; Fields # 68-14 A (F)

Salvador Dalí, Suitor and Queen (Le Soupirant et laReine) – ML/Argillet #376; Fields # 68-14 B


39

Salvador Dalí, Faust Reading (Faust Lisant) ML/Argillet #312; Fields # 68-13 B (F)

SALVADOR DALÍ

MAGICIENS


40

MAGICIENS

Salvador Dalí, Spectre and Rose (Spectre à la Rose) ML/Argillet #315; Fields # 68-13 D (F)

Salvador Dalí, Vanity (Vanité) ML/Argillet #374; Fields # 68-13 A (V)

Salvador Dalí, Illusionist (L’Illusioniste) ML/Argillet #309; Fields # 68-13 C (F)


41

Venus in Furs was a novel written by Austrian author,

Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, whose word and name

are the inspiration and origin of the word “masochism.”

It is a novel about a man whose chief pleasure was to be

thrashed by a beautiful woman wearing nothing more

than a fur coat. Needless to say, this was an intriguing

subject matter for Dalí.

Joining in the sadomasochistic game suggested by

the text from Sacher-Masoch, Salvador Dalí found

liberation and often portrayed himself as a man, a woman

or a hermaphrodite, either in pain or inflicting pain, in a

setting where Eros and Thanatos are laughing at each

other—a major, powerful work, where Dalí’s freedom of

line and thought are best expressed.

20 original drypoint etchings with roulette, of which 16

are 15 x 11 inches and 4 are vignettes. Published in 1969.

Edition size: 1-150 signed and numbered on Arches and

1-145 on Japanese paper. Vignettes etching edition size

1-100 signed and numbered on Japanese paper.

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Whip (Femme au Fouet) ML/Argillet #357; Fields # 68-6 B

Salvador Dalí, Winged Demon (Le Démon Ailé) ML/Argillet #371; Fields # 68-6 I

SALVADOR DALÍ

VENUS IN FURS

*The four vignettes (“The Death,” “Vanity,” “The Poet,” “Suitor andQueen”) are not listed in this book. There was a further edition of100 impressions signed and numbered 1-100 on Japanese paper ofone image in the Fantomes portfolio (listed in this book) which con-sists of two images (“The Poet” and “Suitor and Queen”) from Venusin Furs vignettes. The Magiciens portfolio (listed in this book) containsa further edition of 100 impressions signed and numbered 1-100 onJapanese paper of 1 image (“Vanity”) from Venus in Furs vignettes.


42

VENUS IN FURS

Salvador Dalí, Kneeling Woman (Femme à Genoux) ML/Argillet #369; Fields # 68-6 O

Salvador Dalí, Woman Holding Veil (Femme Tenant le Vaile) – ML/Argillet #358; Fields # 68-6 C

Salvador Dalí, Man Kissing Shoe (Homme Baisant laChaussure) – ML/Argillet #372; Fields # 68-6 d

Salvador Dalí, Leaf Woman (Femme Feuille) ML/Argillet #365; Fields # 68-6 F


43

VENUS IN FURS

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Shoe (Femme à la Chaussure) – ML/Argillet #360; Fields # 68-6 K

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Crutch (Femme à la Bequille) – ML/Argillet #370; Fields # 68-6 G

Salvador Dalí, Negresses (Les Négresses) ML/Argillet #363; Fields # 68-6 J

Salvador Dalí, The Purple Boot (La Botte Violette) ML/Argillet #359; Fields # 68-6 L


44

VENUS IN FURS

Salvador Dalí, Head (La Tête) ML/Argillet #369; Fields # 68-6 O

Salvador Dalí, The Egrets (Les Aigrettes) ML/Argillet #366; Fields # 68-6 N

Salvador Dalí, Torso (Le Torse) ML/Argillet #362; Fields # 68-6 M

Salvador Dalí, Whips Alley (Allée des Verges) ML/Argillet #367; Fields # 68-6 P


45

VENUS IN FURS

Salvador Dalí, Piquant Buttocks (Les Fesses Piquantes) ML/Argillet #368; Fields # 68-6 H

Salvador Dalí, Woman on Horseback (Femme à Cheval)ML/Argillet #364; Fields # 68-6 E


46

In 1969, Pierre Argillet came back from India with many photographs, which Dalí used as groundwork to create

a series entitled “Les Hippies,” his own interpretation of the “Love and Peace” years. The etchings reveal the

superb, spontaneous and consummate technique of the artist at the peak of his maturity. Outlandish,

surrealist characters or situations appear through intricate whirls or golden halos.

Suite of 11 original drypoint etchings published in 1969–1970. 20 x 25 inches. Edition size: 1-145

signed numbered and hand-colored on Arches and I-C with hand-coloring on Japanese paper.

Salvador Dalí, Nude with Garter (Nu à la Jarretière) – ML/Argillet #381; Fields # 69-13 K

SALVADOR DALÍ

LES HIPPIES


47

LES HIPPIES

Salvador Dalí, Pagoda (La Pagode) ML/Argillet #379; Fields # 69-13 F

Salvador Dalí, Women in the Waves (Femmes dans les Vagues) ML/Argillet #377; Fields # 69-13 D


48

LES HIPPIES

Salvador Dalí, The Sacred Cow (La Vache Sacrée)

ML/Argillet #383; Fields # 69-13 I

Salvador Dalí, The Cosmonaut (Le Cosmonaute)

ML/Argillet #380; Fields # 69-13 C

Salvador Dalí, Corridor of Katmandu (Couloir de Kathmandou)

ML/Argillet #378; Fields # 69-13 G

Salvador Dalí, Flower Women with Soft Piano(Femmes Fleurs au Piano)

ML/Argillet #385; Fields # 69-13 B


49

LES HIPPIES

Salvador Dalí, Woman with Cushion (Femme au Coussin)

ML/Argillet #387; Fields # 69-13 J

Salvador Dalí, The Old Hippie (Le Vieil Hippie)

ML/Argillet #384; Fields # 69-13 A

Salvador Dalí, Santiago de Compostela (St. Jacques de Compostele)

ML/Argillet #382; Fields # 69-13 H

Salvador Dalí, The Sun (Le Soleil)

ML/Argillet #386; Fields # 69-13 E


50

Three etchings based on the themes of Seduction, Love and Death.

Suite of 3 hand-colored original drypoint etchings published in 1970, 25 x 20 inches.

Edition size: 1-250 signed and numbered on Arches and I-C on Japanese paper.

Salvador Dalí, The Marquis (Le Page) – ML/Argillet #432; Fields # 70-6 A

SALVADOR DALÍ

DON JUAN


51

DON JUAN

Salvador Dalí, The Nude (Le Nu) ML/Argillet #434; Fields # 70-6 C

Salvador Dalí, The Banquet (Le Banquet) ML/Argillet #433; Fields # 70-6 B


52

21 Original copper etchings completed

between 1960-1972.

The spirit of Dalí is bigger than life,

as exemplified by various interpreta-

tions. Dalí’s views and visual imagery

make him a work of art.

Individual Bullfight (Tauromachie Individuelle), 1966 – 20” x 25,” ML/Argillet #153; Fields # 72-11, 1-250 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

Notre Dame de Paris (Notre-Dame de Paris), 1969 – 20” x 25” ML/Argillet #341; Fields # 69-14, 1-250 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

SALVADOR DALÍ

INDIVIDUAL ETCHINGS

Dali-Pg52-72-final_Layout 1 6/28/18 11:55 AM Page 1

INDIVIDUAL

ETCHINGS

53

Painted Window (Le Vitrail), 1969 – 15” x 11,” ML/Argillet #334;Fields # 68-1, 1-250 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

Incantation (L’Incantation), 1960, ML/Argillet #83; Fields #60-4 A, 15” x 11,” 1-250 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

Blue Horses (Chevaux Bleus), 1966 – 25” x 20” ML/Argillet #142; Fields # 66-1

1-250 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper


INDIVIDUAL

ETCHINGS

54

Pieta (Piéta), 1960 – 15” x 11” ML/Argillet #81; Fields # 60-4 B


Sainte Anne (Sainte-Anne), 1965 – 30” x 22,” ML/Argillet #132;Fields # 65-3, 1-150 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre (St.-Julien-le-Pauvre), 1971 – 25” x 20”ML/Argillet #460; Fields # 73-10,



55

Nude (Nu Sanguine), 1968 – 22” x 15,” ML/Argillet #250; Fields # 68-2 C, 1-150 on Arches paper and 150 on Japanese paper

Marilyn (Marilyn), 1967 – 25” x 20,” ML/Argillet #534; Fields # 67-9, 1-250 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

INDIVIDUAL ETCHINGS

Argus in Color (Argus Couleur), 1963 – 22” x 30” ML/Argillet #116 (d); Fields # 63-3 A, 1-50 on Japanese paper


56

Diane de Poitiers (Diane de Poitiers), 1971 – 20” x 25” ML/Argillet #462; Fields # 73-13,


Portrait of Marguerite (Le Portrait de Marguerite), 1968/9 – 22” x 15,” ML/Argillet #298 (l); Fields # 69-1 A, 1-150 on Japanese paper

Faust Reading (Faust Lisant), 1968/69 – 22” x 15”ML/Argillet #312; Fields 69-12, 1-100 on Japanese paper

INDIVIDUAL

ETCHINGS


57

Warriors Repose (Le Repos du Guerrier), 1969 – 15” x 22” ML/Argillet #338; Fields # 69-9,

1-250 on Arches teinte, I-C on Japanese paper

Circe (Circe), 1969 – 15” x 22,” ML/Argillet #340; Fields # 69-8, 1-150 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

Sexe (Sexe), 1972 – 15” x 11” ML/Argillet #218; Fields #72-12, 1-150

on Arches I-C on Japanese paper

INDIVIDUAL ETCHINGS


INDIVIDUAL

ETCHINGS

58

Christ in Sepia (Le Christ), 1964 – 30” x 22” ML/Argillet #97; Fields # 64-2, I-C on Japanese paper

Christ (Le Christ), 1964/65 – 30” x 22” ML/Argillet #97; Fields # 64-2

1-150 on Arches


59

Tribute to Mephisto (Salut à Méphisto), 1969 – 15” x 22,” ML/Argillet #319; Fields # 68-5, 1-250 on Arches

I-C on Japanese paper

The Reader (Lecture), 1968/69 – 15” x 22”Fields # 69-12 (incorrect image shown in Fields catalog)

100 on Japanese paper, 250 on Arches

Place Furstenberg (Place Furstenberg), 1970/71 – 20” x 25” ML/Argillet #459; Fields # 71-5, 1-250 on Arches, I-C on Japanese paper

INDIVIDUAL ETCHINGS


Fertile Eyes IIIML/Argillet #11; Fields #34-2

60

In 1868 a Uruguayan-born Frenchman named Isidore Ducasse, writing

under the ‘noble’ pseudonym Comte de Lautréamont, wrote a hauntingly

beautiful, but bizarre and disturbing narrative prose-poem which he

entitled Les Chants de Maldoror (The Songs of Maldoror). The book consists

of six ‘songs,’ describing a romantic epic of the anti-hero Maldoror.

This ‘cult’ creation was to become inspiration to the Surrealist and Dadaist

movements at the beginning of the 20th Century. They could identify with

Ducasse’s world of ideas, for imagination runs wild in Les Chants. Like

Ducasse, these artists flouted convention, ridiculed values and standards

and launched their weapons of provocation and imagination against

reason. Ducasse became a hero to the movement, and Les Chants became

a sort of Surrealist manifesto. René Magritte, Man Ray, Giorgio Di Chirico,

Hans Bellmer and, of course, Salvador Dalí have all created illustrations

depicting their interpretations of Ducasse’s hallucinatory imagery.

It was originally Pablo Picasso who proposed that his Spanish compatriot

Dalí would be a logical choice to illustrate Les Chants. Under commission

from the publisher Albert Skira, Dalí embarked on the task in 1932, draw-

ing preliminary studies for the illustrations. Dalí transformed the poet’s

violent deluge of words into a paradigm of the artist’s own “critical-para-

noid” method. Les Chants evoked associations, hallucinations and deliriums

from Jean-François Millet’s monumentally popular painting “The Angelus.”

The well-known figures of the farmer and his wife sunk in prayer, standing

in a potato field, appear in four etchings with typical Dalí iconography.

Dalí’s bizarre interpretation of “The Angelus,” a painting considered to be

banal and bourgeois by the Surrealists, functions as a political and social

statement. Completed in 1973, the Les Chants etchings are considered

to be the most ambitious and important works of Dalí’s graphic oeuvre.

Skira intended to publish 210 suites of the engravings, but due to financial

difficulties only completed 100 unsigned sets. The copper plates were then

stored for 40 years. In 1974 the publisher Pierre Argillet purchased the

plates and collaborated with Dalí to complete the project. Dalí reworked 8

of the plates with remarques for a new edition of 100 additional suites and

100 books, this time with 50 engravings. In contrast to Skira’s edition, all of

the Argillet engravings are signed by Dalí and numbered. In addition, each

book contains all of the engravings of the text of Les Chants de Maldoror.

SALVADOR DALÍ

LES CHANTSDE MALDOROR

*Reference Fields catalog page 17 and theMichler/Lopsinger catalog page 128.

Put to DeathML/Argillet #12; Fields #34-2


61

Carnal TransfigurationML/Argillet #44; Fields 34-2

Fertile Eyes IML/Argillet #17; Fields 34-2

Fertile Eyes IIML/Argillet #16; Fields 34-2

Carnal InfiltrationsML/Argillet #18; Fields 34-2

LES CHANTS DE MALDOROR

Of the Identification with the BrotherML/Argillet #13; Fields 34-2

The Exultant BodyML/Argillet #14; 34-2

Implements of CrossingML/Argillet #15; Fields 34-2

Obsession of the AngelusML/Argillet #19; Fields 34-2

Remains of a Carnal BondML/Argillet #20; Fields 34-2

Once There Was the BeginningML/Argillet #42; Fields 34-2

Hedonistic EntanglementML/Argillet #43; Fields 34-2

Desire the SoftnessML/Argillet #45; Fields 34-2


62

Goodbye FriendsML/Argillet #46; Fields 34-2

NuptialsML/Argillet #26; Fields 34-2


Original CastrationML/Argillet #22; Fields 34-2

Outbidding the BodyML/Argillet #21; Fields 34-2

In the Beginning, The Family NovelML/Argillet #47; Fields 34-2

Something Has Taken PlaceML/Argillet #28; Fields 34-2

Cannibal LoveML/Argillet # 23; Fields 34-2

Family TreeML/Argillet #24; Fields 34-2

Crepuscular CoupleML/Argillet #25; Fields 34-2

The Flow of TimeML/Argillet #27; Fields 34-2

Redemption of the EssentialML/Argillet #48; Fields 34-2

Phallic SaucerML/Argillet #49; Fields 34-2


Memory of MusicML/Argillet #33; Fields 34-2

On the Seizure of LifeML/Argillet #31; Fields 34-2

63


Fragmented BodyML/Argillet #29; Fields 34-2

Excess of the CoupleML/Argillet #30; Fields 34-2

The Knight of DeathML/Argillet #32; Fields 34-2

Exquisite CadaverML/Argillet #34; Fields 34-2

Lovers Trouncing One AnotherML/Argillet #35; Fields 34-2

Suspended in ContemplationML/Argillet #36; Fields 34-2

Sublimation of the Grain of WheatML/Argillet #51; Fields 34-2

The Future and Its EnigmaML/Argillet #53; Fields 34-2

Cross Cliff – ML/Argillet #49 (with remarques); Fields 34-2

Dream of Reconciliation – ML/Argillet#54 (with remarques); Fields 34-2


64

Speed StopML/Argillet #40; Fields 34-2

Pull Me Out of This Nightmare ML/Argillet #48 (with remarques); Fields 34-2

The Triumph of the RoseML/Argillet #38; Fields 34-2

Utopia of the Embrace ML/Argillet #52; Fields 34-2


Set of KnucklebonesML/Argillet #39; Fields 34-2

Silence on the SameML/Argillet #37; Fields 34-2

Pegged BodyML/Argillet #41; Fields 34-2

Flowering of the BeyondML/Argillet #50; Fields 34-2

Exalted Penetrations – ML/Argillet #45 (with remarques); Fields 34-2

From Castration to Paradisiac LoveML/Argillet #54; Fields 34-2

Journey in Time – ML/Argillet #42 (with remarques); Fields 34-2

Presence of the Here and Down ThereML/Argillet #44 (with remarques)


65

The art of tapestry making is one of the French traditions that over the centuries greatly contributedto the embellishment of patrimony. Aubusson tapestry,according to folklore, was introduced by the Saracenssurviving the Battle of Poitiers (732 AD) and who, legend has it, asked for theprotection of the Lord ofAubusson. They hence set upseveral weaving workshops inthe Creuse valley where thewaters have the renownedproperty of rendering the colors very pure in tone.

It was somewhere around1662, that the French PrimeMinister Jean-Baptiste Col-bert gave Aubusson his aris-tocratic title, making thetapestries of royal manufac-ture. Workshops aboundedand the prized works spreadthroughout Europe. Therewas a great diversity in thedifferent themes treated: religion, pastoral, country-sides dotted with peopleand/or animals, floral designs.

The French revolution unfor-tunately put an end to themasterful creativity of tapes-tries with the destruction and theft of numerous works.

At the end of the 19th century, the Aubusson work-shops opened a school of weaving and design, whichlater became The National School of Decorative Arts.After World War II, tapestry experienced a real rebirth

SALVADOR DALÍ

THE HISTORY OF AUBUSSON TAPESTRY

and Aubusson workshops updated their technology. It was Jean Lurçat who was to become the instrumentof a truly new art. In fact, he understood that the tonalopulence of the golden tapestry period was thanks to awise knowledge of economizing very pure tones and

that the monumental effectof the works was due to the clarity of the designs.Hachured contrasting toneswere used rather than de-grading ones; the range of different colors was reducedand those chosen werebrighter.

Pierre Argillet and SalvadorDalí actually decided to pro-duce Dalí’s work in tapestrybecause they wanted to create art in a very large format to decorate the enormous walls of the castlesthey had individually builttheir respective museums. Inthe early 1970s, Dalí foundedhis Teatro Museo Dalí inFigueres, Spain, and Argilletestablished the Musées duSurréalisme in France. Theyset out together to choosethe images from select suitesand pieces on which they had

collaborated. They determined that the tapestrieswould be only of the highest quality, and thus commis-sioned the artisan Raymond Picaud at Aubusson to cre-ate their tapestries. One of each tapestry was destinedfor their museums. There are only 13 different imagescreated in editions of 6 with few proofs that exist.

Salvador Dalí posing in front of the “Argus” tapestry by an unknown photographer.


66

Flower Women at the Piano (Femmes-Fleurs au Piano) Aubusson Tapestry, hand woven, 63” x 50”

AUBUSSON TAPESTRY


67

Piano Under Snow (Le Piano sous la Neige) Aubusson Tapestry, hand woven, 64” x 85”

AUBUSSON TAPESTRY


68

The Argillet Collection is made up of nearly 200 etchings. An etching is the process of rendering an image upon

a metal plate by using nitric or other acid to dissolve portions of the metal surface. The image is transferred to

paper in much the same manner as a dry point. Properly called a “print” or “proof” the resulting copy is more

commonly called an etching. Many of the Argillet collection have been hand-embellished, which is a term used

to describe prints to which an artist has added color or washes after the piece has been printed, by hand either

by the artist or under the supervision of the artist.

Dalí was an avid and accomplished engraver. He had studied fine printmaking while in his university years at the

prestigious Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. Dalí also experimented with revolutionary

techniques in his preparation of etchings.

Most of the work created in the Argillet publications were created as dry-points. The artist worked meticulously

with a diamond stylus, drawing directly onto a soft copper substrate. It is notable that the artist is always working

in reverse while working in the copper plates. Dalí often utilized a diamond stylus to be able to work with very

fine definition or sometimes a ruby-tipped stylus, depending on the line he wished to produce. The Master also

utilized very fine needles to accomplish nearly microscopic details.

Each piece in this collection has been signed and numbered indicating that each print bears an original artist

signature as well as an edition number. A print being “numbered” is a term used when there is a limited edition of

the print. It is then marked with two numbers separated by a slash mark. The first number identifies the particular

copy, and the second indicates edition size: for example 42/250 identifies print number 42 of a 250-copy edition.

In the Argillet Collection, there has been another numbering distinction, which is that standard numbering has

been used for pieces printed on Arches paper, whereas the pieces printed on Japon (or Japanese handmade

paper) have been notated with Roman numerals.

In the art of printmaking the artist is the most crucial member to the process, creating the image itself, but there

are other team members who are important to the process, such as the publisher. A publisher is a person or

company whose business is to produce and market prints. There are also Master printmakers, apprentices, and

others helping in the process.

SALVADOR DALÍ

UNDERSTANDING

PRINTMAKING


COPYRIGHT 2018 JEAN CHRISTOPHE ARGILLET AND TRIAD ART GROUP, INC. PUBLISHER GREG BLOCH

EXECUTIVE EDITOR HOPE LLOYD BROWN

TEXTS AND DESCRIPTIONS JEAN CHRISTOPHE ARGILLET

HOPE LLOYD BROWN

GREG BLOCH

GRAPHIC DESIGN KOLEEN KAFFAN

PHOTOGRAPHY PIERRE ARGILLET

GENERAL COORDINATION LYNN QUINLAN

CONSULTING SARAH SEAMARK

JOHN HAFFEY


Dali


DaliCover~2_Layout 1 7/26/18 11:19 AM Page 1

The Argillet Collection - TRIAD ART GROUP

Documents

Transcript of The Argillet Collection - TRIAD ART GROUP