132 - Based on a design by SALVADOR DALÍ (Figueres, 1904–1989).

Based on a design by SALVADOR DALÍ (Figueres, 1904–1989). “Gala Gradiva.” 1970 model. Sculpture in patinated and gilded bronze, mounted on a black marble base. It bears an engraved signature and is numbered 626/7000. The marble base has several cracks. Needs restoration. Measurements: 38 x 17 cm (with base). The figure of Gradiva occupies a prominent place in the symbolic universe of Salvador Dalí, who identified her with Gala, his wife and muse, based on the literary character created by Wilhelm Jensen and studied by Sigmund Freud. This composition, based on a sculptural model from around 1970, depicts a female figure with stylized forms and outstretched arms, whose body appears to transform into a billowing cloak. The sculpture rises above an open, organic-looking cubic structure that is marked by lightness and dynamism in the figure. The juxtaposition of geometry and fluid forms reflects the aesthetic hallmarks of Dalí’s Surrealism. Salvador Dalí was one of the leading figures of Surrealism and a pivotal figure in 20th-century art. His body of work spanned painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design, and he developed a deeply personal artistic language marked by symbolism, the world of dreams, and his famous paranoid-critical method. His collaboration with artists, writers, and filmmakers—such as Luis Buñuel—helped expand the expressive boundaries of Surrealism and cement its international reputation. His work is held in institutions such as MoMA in New York, the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, and the Dalí Theater-Museum in Figueres.