Dalí Genius, Obsession, and Lust

Salvador Dali's life and art were dominated by an almost insatiable craving for sex, money, and fame, as well as by a morbid fascination with death. He thrived on the acquisition of knowledge, absorbing influences both from other artists and from contemporary philosophy and science. Dali's extraordinary gift for artistic expression found an outlet in countless media: his technical virtuosity was seemingly unbounded. The more recognition he achieved, the greater his indulgence in his passions. Ambition became megalomania, sensuality became depravity. Dali: Genius, Obsession and Lust analyzes the different periods of the artist's development from 1921 to 1983, supported by a selection of his most brilliant paintings. The book presents a series of new and detailed interpretations of Dali's pictures, based on the artist's own writings and applying the motivational theories of two men who deeply influenced his thinking: Sigmund Freud and his protege, Otto Rank. Dali painted provocative surrealist visions of sexuality, as well as masterly images of death. After World War II, he seized upon new theories in physics, biology, and mathematics, in a process that revealed almost limitless powers of intuition.