Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Dali’s incredible illustrations for Lewis Carroll’s "Alice in Wonderland" (published in 1865) have caused it become one of the rarest and most sought-after Dali suites. With the original gouaches published by Maecenas Press-Random House, New York in 1969, the Suite now contains 12 heliogravures - one for each chapter of the book - and comes with 1 original signed etching in 4 colors as the frontpiece.
This collaboration brings together arguable two of the most creative minds in Western culture, as both are considered ultimate explorers of dreams and imagination.

Divine Comedy
In the early 1950’s Dali was commissioned by the Italian government to create illustrations of the text of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” to be published by La Libreria dello Stato in honor of the upcoming septocentennial of the poet’s birth. There was, of course, negative feedback from Italians who thought it distasteful to have a Spanish artist and an irreverent Surrealist at that, be hired to illustrate what was widely considered to be the greatest and most respected epic poem in their nation’s history.
When the project was eventually dropped by the Italian government Dali brought what was created thus far to old friend and French art publisher Joseph Foret, who immediately found support for Dante’s illustrations with Parisian publishing house Editions d’Art les Heaures Claires. Over nine years in the making, the works were completed in 1960 and subsequently published as a set of six volumes between 1960 and 1964.
The suite, comprised of 101 watercolors, contains incredible imagery ranging from the grotesque to the sublime as our artist follows Dante from the deepest circles of Hell, up the mountain of Purgatory, and into heavenly Paradise. These works have been reproduced by the technique of wood engraving, engravers having carved 3,500 blocks for the prints – approximately 35 separate blocks per print. Dali himself thought this suite to be one of the most important of his career and it is considered by many today to be his most incredible and notable work.

Biblia Sacra
This suite, containing 105 lithographs on heavy rag paper within five illustrated volumes of the Bible in Vulgate, was published in 1969 by Rizzoli Editions, Milan, Italy and is the largest published suite of Dali’s work. Six years in the making, from 1963 – 1969, the suite was commissioned by Dali’s good friend and leading Dali patron Guiseppe Albaretto, who wanted to lead the artist to God and back to the Catholic Church. He believed that Dali was too influenced by his wife, Gala, who was, in his eyes, "beyond redemption."
The illustrations, rich in both color and content, show the artist’s range of creativity as they exhibit a wide variety of imagery – some Christian and some based on classical mythology. The works also show Dali’s spontaneity, as the artist employed the use of “bulletism,” a Dalinian invention where an arquebus (a type of antique gun) was loaded with ink-filled capsules and then fired at blank sheets of paper. The resultant patterns/designs were then incorporated into the suite’s illustrations.

Les Caprices de Goya
227 years after the birth of Spanish master Francisco Goya, Salvador Dali had an idea to transform Goya’s Los Caprichos and present a new work. Goya’s Los Caprichos was an artistic experiment exposing the foolish superstitions in 18th century Spanish society. Goya described the series as depicting "the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society, and from the common prejudices and deceitful practices which custom, ignorance, or self-interest have made usual". The body of work was withdrawn from public sale before their planned release in 1799. Only a formal order from King Carlos IV kept Goya from being called before the Spanish Inquisition. In 1973 Salvador Dali created a metamorphosis of Goya’s suite into a colorful surrealist masterpiece. From the numbered edition of 200, each piece is hand signed by Salvador Dali and is a genuine rarity for the Dali and Goya admirers.

Tauromachie surréaliste
Dali's 1966/7 transformation Picasso's famous "Tauromaquia Suite" of 1957-59 was an extension of the lifelong artistic dialog carried on between the two artists. These astonishing works are teeming with the most iconic of Dalinian imagery. Encompassing all aspects of the sport as seen through the eyes of the Surrealist master, Dali is not timid with his numerous references to Catholicism, the Spanish court, and his criticism of each.
Spanish-style bullfighting is normally fatal for the bull, and it is very dangerous for the matador. The aesthetic of bullfighting is based on the interaction of the man and the bull. Rather than a competitive sport, the bullfight is more of a ritual which is judged by aficionados (bullfighting fans) based on artistic impression and command. Ernest Hemingway said of it in his 1932 non-fiction book Death in the Afternoon "Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honour."
This remarkable suite contains 7 etchings with original remarques on special Japan Paper and is hand-signed by the artist. William Bennett Gallery is honored to be able to present these spectacular works for acquisition individually and as a rarely available complete portfolio.

Other Portfolios
Due to our limited space, in house, all of the portfolios that we have available are not represented in the gallery, or on the site.

Changes in Great Masterpieces

Symbols

Le Paradis Terrestre

Mythologie

The Hippies

Florals

After 50 Years of Surrealism

Our Historical Heritage