Salvador Dalí

SALVADOR DALÍ (Figueres, Girona, 1904–1989).
“Infra-terrestres adored by Dalí at age 5 because he believed himself to be an insect,” from the series “La Conquête du Cosmos,” 1974.
Print (etching, drypoint, and embossing) and color chromolithograph on paper. Copy 159/195.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Printed by D’Art Bellini, Paris.
Published by Jean Lavigne, Paris.
Reference bibliography: Field 74-12 F; Michler/Löpsinger 649b.
Shows signs of oxidation and moisture stains on the margins, as well as a visible tear in the image
Measurements: 84 x 59 cm.

In an arid landscape with an Empordà horizon, several anthropomorphic creatures with spindly anatomies intertwine like giant insects. The elongated bodies, articulated limbs, and phallic-looking appendages create an ambiguous universe, situated between the organic, the erotic, and the monstrous. The precise drypoint linework is a hallmark of the work, contrasting with the broad lithographic surfaces of yellows and blues, enlivened by small chromatic accents.

The title, deliberately autobiographical, transforms a fantasy from Dalí’s childhood into a unique cosmic mythology. The work belongs to “La Conquête du Cosmos,” a series of twelve prints commissioned by Jean Lavigne centered on the artist’s so-called “cosmic consciousness.” Strange beings, crutches, insects, and sexual allusions compose a cosmogony in which the subconscious and science are subsumed by the surrealist imagination.

A leading figure in Surrealism, Salvador Dalí expanded his practice to include painting, sculpture, film, set design, and printmaking. His legacy is centered primarily at the Dalí Theater-Museum in Figueres, conceived by the artist himself, and is represented in international collections such as MoMA in New York and the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid.