In the Company of Dali : the Photographs of Robert Whitaker

Kent : Touchstone, 2006. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine cloth copy in an equally fine dw, now mylar-sleeved. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered.; 128 pages; Physical desc. : 128 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm. Subject: Dali, Salvador (1904-1989) --Pictorial works --Painters --Spain --Pictorial works --Art --History --Modern (late 19th Century to 1945) --Individual artists --Painting and paintings --Surrealism and Dada. Summary: This high quality art book features a unique collection of photographs of the world-famous surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. In 1967, Bob Whitaker was introduced to Salvador Dali. As a creative photographer, Bob had great respect for artists and sculptors and often photographed them at work. At the age of 16, he cut up a book about Dali, reassembled it and sent it to the mercurial Spanish artist. Dali was sufficiently impressed to write back and invite Bob to visit. It was several years before the meeting took place, but the photographer and artist formed an instant rapport, each man understanding and admiring the other's work. Bob visited Dali on a number of occasions and the images he produced became a unique, personal record of the controversial Spanish surrealist. Dali was an unashamed, consummate showman who understood the value of publicity and ignored the opinions of the critics who felt his behaviour degraded the value of his work. Bob discovered a very different person to the common perception; a smart, dedicated artist with a genuine sense of humour that was often misinterpreted. Bob had unprecedented access to Dali at work and play, either relaxing on his boat, or visiting Barcelona where he was eager to show Bob the architecture of Gaudi, which greatly influenced his work. This book is a record of a unique personality; many of the photographs have never been printed before and are reproduced in this book for the first time. The paintings of Salvador Dali are a matter of record, but the memorable images seen here reveal the man behind the myth.