Who or what is this Salvador Dalí?

There is no adequate answer to this question that is not long and complex. We’ll try to give you a short and simplified answer. For a biography of the artist click here.

Salvador Dalí (Spanish 1904-1989) was one of the most complex, and remains one of the most fascinating, artists of the Twentieth Century. Emerging from Catalonia in Northern Spain, he became a true international superstar, whose work fascinates a wide range of people because they subconsciously connect with his messages and visual representations. A believer in the theories of Freud, he painted more from his subconscious than his conscious.

Frequently referred to as a member of the Surrealists, he broke with the group and pursued many different paths with his painting – paths which, many believe, took him much farther than any of the Surrealists. Today he is represented not only in most major museums, but is also the raison d’être for the existence of two magnificent art institutions: The Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida and the Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dalí in Figueres, Spain.

Widely recognized as one of the most important artists of the Twentieth Century, his work, in many ways, is an eloquent reflection of that century. He was born in the fourth year and died almost within a decade of its end. His art incorporates most of the important events and movements of his lifetime.

Artists of the stature and popular recognition of Dalí are usually targets for the activities of fakers and forgers. There are probably more fake artworks attributed to Salvador Dalí than to any other artist. These take the forms of forged pencil and ink drawings, watercolor and oil paintings, bronzes, jewelry and, most especially, prints. The estimates of the “street” value” of these fakes have been as high as $10 billion (yes, billion). Bernard Ewell, ASA has examined over 48,000 prints attributed to Dalí and estimates that 65% were fakes. Today he is retained by the best galleries to authenticate any Dalí prints they offer for sale.

How was such massive fraud possible? It’s pretty much “the perfect storm” answer. Salvador Dalí and his wife Gala got sick in 1980 and retreated to their home at Port Lligat in Cadaques, Spain and became recluses. Well, the forgers went to work and dealers, using the myths that art is a good investment and the bigger the name of the artist, the more value in the art (see – What are the “Six Myths of the Art Market”) sold many thousands of fake prints with forged signatures. The artist was ill, but lived until 1989, and was unable to do anything about the fakes. The dealers promised collectors that “he’s going to die on Thursday and the values will go through the roof”.

Today – two decades after federal and state law enforcement officials launched a series of prosecutions (using Bernard as their expert witness) and many forgers and crooked dealers were convicted – a few brave galleries are rebuilding the market in Dalí prints. That’s why Bernard Ewell, ASA, is writing the definitive Catalogue Raisonné of Dalí prints.