“We owe a debt to Albert Field for his persistence in categorizing, organizing, and de-confusing confusion…” - A. Reynolds Morse, the Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Fl.

Salvador Dali and his Graphic Works

Salvador Dali (1904-1989), the Spanish Surrealist artist who is considered by many to be one of the 20th century’s foremost artists, produced at least one of this century’s most iconographic images -- The Persistence of Memory (oil on canvas, 1931).

His output, like Picasso’s, was enormous; his draftsmanship was superb; his imagination was limitless; his interests far ranging: art, science, history and literature. And yet, controversy followed Dali everywhere. Some say he courted it, while others maintain that he manufactured it himself, out of a need to be the center of attention. Whatever the case, biographers and historians are having a field day.

Dali’s earliest graphic works date from the 1930s; the publication in 1934 of Les Chants de Maldoror (Albert Skira, Paris), a set of 42 original engravings, is considered by many to be one his finest graphic works.

Dali produced very few graphic works during the 1940s and 50s, but by the mid 1960s, the New York gallery owners, Sidney and Phyllis Lucas, began a publishing relationship with Dali, the first by Americans, producing, for example, The Face in the Windmill (1965), one of his finest original lithographs.

Although Dali worked in a variety of print media, including lithography and intaglio; the majority of his prints were derived from gouaches. They were published either singly or in sets; the largest set containing 105 lithographic prints -- Biblia Sacra (Rizzoli, Milan,1969).

The subject matter of Dali’s prints is far ranging, from Dante Alighieri’s epic poetic masterpiece, La Divina Commedia (Les Heures Claires, Paris, 1960), to Aliyah -–in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the founding of Israel (Shorewood Press, 1968), to Alice in Wonderland (Maecenas Press, 1969), to Goethe’s Faust (Editions Argillet, Paris, 1969).

The number of authentic Salvador Dali graphic images -- either produced directly by Dali or under his supervision, has been quantified by Albert Field, Director of the Archives, and numbers some 1,900 individual works!

Beginning in the early 1980s, while Dali was in ill-heath, and with the death of his wife, Gala (1982), a few unscrupulous publishers began the production of unauthorized print editions. Some of these prints are of images created by Dali in other media, and not intended for print editions, while others use totally fabricated “Daliesque” images; both types however have forged signatures.

Around this same time, stories began to circulate about “… thousands of blank sheets of (print) paper signed by Dali.” According to both A. Reynolds Morse (founder of the Dali Museum, St.Petersburg) and to Albert Field, this story has been foisted on the public by the forgers of Dali’s name in order to mislead the public.

The Salvador Dali Archives Ltd.

The Salvador Dali Archives Ltd., is a private repository of materials and information by and about Salvador Dali . The Archives, established with the approval and cooperation of Dali, was founded in New York City more than forty years ago by Albert Field. The Archives contains a variety of materials: limited edition prints, books, exhibition catalogs, manuscripts, videos, and files of information about the artist, his life and his work. It is the largest private collection of such material in the world.

Albert Field, Director of the Salvador Dali Archives Ltd., is a graduate of Columbia College and Harvard University, and is the author of The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali (New York, 1994). He has been accepted by various courts as a an expert on the works of Dali, and has assisted in over seventeen government investigations of possible art fraud.

The Official Catalog documents and organizes every authentic Dali graphic work known at the time of publication. Nearly every print is reproduced in color, and each print’s entry contains information on publisher, date of publication, tirage, print and paper dimensions, etc. It’s the most authoritative and complete work on Dali’s graphic works.

Many museums and galleries, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s , refer owners of Dali prints to the Archives for print authentication.

Print Authentication Service

The Archives established its print authentication service nearly twenty years ago; its purpose is to provide complete and accurate independent verification of the genuiness of Dali’s graphic works to owners -–individuals, dealers and auction houses.

In determining the authenticity of a print, the Archives relies upon information gleaned from examining many thousands of prints over many years. Our files contain, among other things, copies of publishing contracts, information from dealers, publishers and even Dali himself. We also have an extensive reference collection of both authentic and bogus prints.

For the Archives to authenticate a Dali graphic work, complete and accurate information about the print is required. In most cases, we can authenticate a print with information alone, but in some cases we might have to examine the print itself; if this becomes necessary, we will contact you with instructions for shipping.

1. Our fee is for time and expertise, and is the same for a positive or a negative report. The basic fee is $195.00 (US) for a report on a single print . Please call or eamil for rates on sets/portfolios of prints (published as such), and for discounts on quantities Payment may be made by either check or money order, or credit card. If you send a check from outside the country, it must be drawn on a United States bank; if a postal money order, be sure the funds are U.S. dollars. Please make your check or money order payable to: Salvador Dali Archives, Ltd., and call us if you wish to use credit cards (518-674-5720).

Authentication Instructions

1. Try to answer all questions in Parts I and II below; information should come from your own knowledge. If data comes from a document or from another person, put that information in "quotation marks". Please do not guess.

2. You should prepare a separate Authentication Form for each of your prints, except, of course, for sets (portfolios) of prints.

3. Photographs: We require three photographs of your print, you may send us digital photos, either on CD or in .jpg format via E-mail.

a) the complete image; b) the signature (close-up), and c) the numbering (close-up).

4. If you have any relevant documents, such as Certificates of Authenticity, Invoices, etc, please make copies and attach them with this form.

5. Please enclose a check or money order for the fee.

Please allow six (6) to eight (8) weeks for your report to arrive.

Salvador Dali Archives Ltd.

Dali Authentication Form

1. Today’s date: ____________________

2. Your Name: _______________________________________________________________________

3. Company Name:____________________________________________________________________

4. Street Address: _____________________________________________________________________

5. City, State/Province: _____________________________________________________________________

6. Zip/Postal Code: __________________

7. Telephone (Home): __________________________________________________________________

8. Telephone (Business): ________________________

9. FAX No: __________________________________

10. E-mail address: ______________________________

1. Title of Work:__________________________________________________________________________

2. Date of work: ________________________

3. Medium: (Print, drawing, watercolor, sculpture, etc.) _______________________________________________

4. Date and place (delaer, etc) you acquired it from: _______________________________________________

5. If print, numbers or letters in lower left, under image: ____________________________________

6. Signature or wording, if any, below the image: ___________________________________________

7. Height:If print - of plate mark or printed image: ____________________

8. Width: If print - of plate mark or printed image: ______________________

9. If portfolio, what other items are there?_____________________________________________________________

The following is for owners of prints only. If the print is not framed, please answer these questions about its paper:

10.Height of paper: ________________

11. Width of paper: __________________________

12. Edges of the paper: Are they irregular or cut smooth? _____________________________

13.Watermark: A watermark is a brand name or logo put into the paper by its manufacturer. It can be seen by holding the print up to a light; a table or floor lamp is more practical than overhead ceiling lighting. The watermark is usually at one of the corners, or (rarely) at one of the edges of the paper. If the paper was milled in 1980 or after, there may be an additional tiny mark, right at the edge of the paper -- an infinity mark (looks like the number 8 turned on its side). Please make a freehand sketch of the watermark in the space below (it does not have to be to scale.):

14. Blind Stamps: Blind stamps (also known as embossments, chops, or dry stamps), are made by pressing a metal mold into the paper; a notary’s seal is an example. The stamps used on prints are not inked, and can be seen to stand above the paper’s surface. They usually contain the publisher’s logo, or in some instances, the printer’s.

If your print contains a blind stamp, it can usually be found in the lower right or lower left corner of the print; hold the paper at an angle to a light source, and make a sketch of what you are able to see here: