User manual

PRESENTATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK

Image

Wherever possible, a colour reproduction of the painting is provided. In some cases, more than one image is given in order to supplement the information.

In the case of the stereoscopic paintings, the order of presentation (left-right) in the Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings is based on the bibliography, the existence of preparatory material, the artist's own indications and examination of the work with a stereoscope.

Title

It is not unusual for a work to be known by more than one title. This catalogue raisonné gives precedence to the title by which the work was identified on its first exhibition, which appears in italics (with the Catalan translation in brackets, where appropriate). Other titles subsequently given to the work then appear in bold.

Where the title given to the work on its first exhibition is not known, precedence is given to the most commonly accepted title, and this appears in bold.

In the case of works corresponding mainly to the period 1976 to 1983 it has become clear that, although some of them were exhibited during the artist's lifetime, the titles given are descriptive and often refer to the source of inspiration. The general formula 'Untitled. After...' has therefore been adopted, followed by the names of the work and the artist that provided Dalí with his starting point.

In the case of titles in which there are errors of typography or spelling, these have been corrected. The original title in its first known published form is given in the Observations section.

The titles of many of the works studied contain place names. These have been normalized in accordance with the Official Register of Catalan Place Names. For example, the form Portlligat is used, although the name was frequently written as Port Lligat in Dalí's time.

Date

Dalí did not always date his works. For works that are not dated, a year is proposed, and where there is insufficient reliable information to establish the date with complete certainty the year is preceded by the abbreviation c. (circa).

Technique

This catalogue raisonné is mostly devoted to oil paintings, but works in tempera and in other media such as collage are also included. Where we cannot be certain of the technique, it is entered as "Unknown".

Support

During his early period, until 1930, Dalí painted on various kinds of support, including cardboard and wood, but especially on fabrics of all types, notably hessian or sacking, a very coarse thick support, to which he applied the pigment directly. Throughout the 1930s, in particular, he used small wooden boards and factory-prepared canvases. During the 1940s and 1950s, he used above all medium-sized canvases, also factory-prepared. From time to time he used rigid panels in the execution of scale models for projects for the stage or for film sets. In the nineteen sixties and seventies he often used small supports incorporating optical effects such as Rowlux film, as well as very large canvases and plywood panels for works such as those he created for the ceilings and walls of the Theatre-Museum and Púbol Castle. Dalí never abandoned the use of canvas, and this was the support he chose, from 1980 to 1983, for his last series of paintings. Where we cannot be certain of the support, it is entered as Unknown.

Dimensions

The dimensions of the works are given in centimetres, with the height followed by the width. Where it has not been possible to measure the work directly, the information provided by the owner is used. Where we cannot be certain of the dimensions, these are entered as Unknown.

Signature and inscriptions

The nature and position of any signature or inscription on the work is given, and if the work is unsigned or was signed at a later date, this fact is noted.

Location

The current ownership of the work is noted here, and in the case of private collectors who wish to remain anonymous, the entry is limited to the expression 'Private collection'.

Copyright

The caption under the photographic image provides information on the copyright of the pictorial work and the reproduction rights of the image. For additional information, you should contact the Department of Rights of the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí: gerencia@fundaciodali.org.

DOCUMENTATION OF THE PICTORIAL WORK

This last section provides detailed information on all the documentation relating to the work. This may include observations concerning the provenance of the work and other considerations related to its study, bibliography and exhibition history. All of the information in this section has been checked and corroborated by the Centre for Dalinian Studies.

Provenance

This is a chronological list of the owners to whom the pictorial work has belonged, from the earliest to the most recent, and is of fundamental importance for demonstrating Dalí's authorship of the work. For this reason, every effort is made to establish an unbroken chronological sequence, although in some cases it can be difficult to obtain certain information, and in view of this we invite the owners to get in touch with us if they have any information about the works.

This field also respects the privacy of those owners who wish to remain anonymous: in such cases the work is simply listed as belonging to a private collection.

Observations

This section provides clarification of aspects of the work such as its title, date, provenance, exhibition history, etc, as well as noting whether the work is also painted on the back.

Exhibition history

This field lists the most important exhibitions in which the work is known to have appeared, in chronological order from the earliest to the most recent, together with the number given to the work in the exhibition catalogue where this is known. In other cases, the presence of the work in the exhibition has been documented in other ways, and it is listed as hors catalogue.

Bibliography

Cited here are the most important publications in which an image of the work appears, with the corresponding page number. The bibliography includes monographs, exhibition catalogues, newspaper and magazine articles and in some cases other ephemeral documents, and notes whether the image is a genuine reproduction, an indirect or incidental representation, or a detail.