This immersive dive into the life and work of Salvador Dali unlocks the secret of this creative genius and reveals for the first time how his erotically charged paintings changed the world of modern art.

In turns beloved and reviled, twentieth-century painter, filmmaker, and designer Salvador Dali set Europe and the United States ablaze with his uncompromising genius, sexual sadism, and flirtations with megalomania. His shocking behavior and work frequently alienated critics; his views were so outrageous, even prominent Surrealists tried to ostracize him. Still, every morning he experienced ?an exquisite joy?the joy of being Salvador Dalí,? and because of his remarkable talent, Dali rose to unprecedented levels of fame?forever shifting the landscape of the art world and the nature of celebrity itself.

In this stunning volume, rich with more than 150 full-color images, noted art historians Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown discuss the historical, social, and political conditions that shaped Dali's work, identify the impact of modern as well as old master art, and present an unflinching view of the master's personal relationships and motivations. With their deeply compelling narrative, Isbouts and Brown uncover how Dalí's visual wit and enduring cult of personality still impacts fashion, literature, and art, from Andy Warhol to Lady Gaga, and answer why, in an age of shock and awe, Dali's art still manages to distress, perplex, and entertain. An unparalleled guide to Dali and a critical resource for anyone keen to understand the development of modern art, The Dali Legacy is complemented by a contextualizing foreword from Frank Hunter, director of the Salvador Dali Archives.

Christopher Heath Brown is a practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeon who has presented and published to both national and international audiences. He is one of the most prominent collectors of works by Salvador Dalí in the United States, and serves as the director of Brown Discoveries, a research institute focused on Renaissance, Surrealist, and Contemporary art. Together with Dr. Isbouts, Dr. Brown produced The Search for the Last Supper and The Search for the Mona Lisa for Public Television. Dr. Brown lives in Cornelius, North Carolina.

This immersive dive into the life and work of Salvador Dalí unlocks the secret of this creative genius and reveals for the first time how his erotically charged paintings changed the world of modern art.

In turns beloved and reviled, twentieth century art, painter, filmmaker, and designer Salvador Dalí set Europe and the United States ablaze with his uncompromising genius, sexual sadism, and flirtations with megalomania. His shocking behavior and work frequently alienated critics; his views were so outrageous, even prominent Surrealists tried to ostracize him. Still, every morning he experienced "an exquisite joy-the joy of being Salvador Dalí," and, through a remarkable talent that invited bewilderment, anger, and adoration, rose to unprecedented levels of fame-forever shifting the landscape of the art world and the nature of celebrity itself.

In this stunning volume, rich with more than 150 full-color images, noted art historians Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown discuss the historical, social, and political conditions that shaped Dalí's work, identify the impact of Modern as well as Old Master art, and present an unflinching view of the master's personal relationships and motivations. With their deeply compelling narrative, Isbouts and Brown uncover how Dalí's visual wit and enduring cult of personality still impacts fashion, literature, and art, from Andy Warhol to Lady Gaga, and seeks to answer why, in an age of shock and awe, Dalí's art still manages to distress, perplex, and entertain.

Foreword

• Introduction
• 1. Beginnings
• 2. The Early Years: 1922-1926
• 3. The Years in the Wilderness: 1926-1929
• 4. The Persistence of Memory: 1929-1934
• 5. New Horizons: 1934-1945
• 6. The Atomic Era: 1945-1955
• 7. The Mystic Universe: 1955-1960
• 8. A Return to the Past: 1960-1968
• 9. The Later Years: 1968-1989
• 10. Epilogue

Timeline

Further reading

Endnotes