Dali the Paintings: Volume I, 1904-1946; Volume II, 1946-1989

This two-volume monograph functions as a comprehensive catalogue raisonné, documenting Salvador Dalí’s entire painted output from his childhood creative efforts through his final works in the 1980s. Robert Descharnes organizes the collection chronologically, providing high-resolution reproductions alongside technical data and historical context for every known canvas. Volume I focuses on the development of Dalí’s paranoiac-critical method and his rise within the Surrealist movement, while Volume II follows his transition into nuclear mysticism, classical religious subjects, and large-scale stereoscopic experiments performed in his later years.

Art historians and serious collectors utilize these volumes as the definitive reference for authenticating and dating Dalí’s paintings. The technical specificity regarding dimensions, media, and provenance makes this an practical tool for researchers tracking the evolution of surrealist iconography. Readers finish the set with a complete visual record of Dalí’s technical shifts, moving beyond his most famous melting clocks to understand his rigorous draftsmanship and his obsession with scientific theories of the mid-twentieth century.

Balanced in tone; a moderate read.

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