This exquisite lithograph by Salvador Dali (1904–1989), titled Don Quichotte a la tete qui eclate (Don Quixote with the Exploding Head), from the folio Pages choisies de Don Quichotte de la Manche (Selected Pages of Don Quixote of La Mancha), originates from the 1957 edition published by Joseph Foret, Editeur, Paris; printed by Dominique Viglino, Bourg-la-Reine, October 28, 1957. The composition reflects Dali’s imaginative reinterpretation of Miguel de Cervantes’ legendary narrative, where dreamlike symbolism, theatrical gesture, and radiant color merge into a visionary evocation drawn from the mythic world of Don Quixote.
Executed as a lithograph on velin de Rives B.F.K. pur fil paper, this work measures 16.125 x 12.875 inches (40.96 x 32.70 cm). Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued.
Artwork Details:
Artist: Salvador Dali (1904–1989)
Title: Don Quichotte a la tete qui eclate (Don Quixote with the Exploding Head), from Pages choisies de Don Quichotte de la Manche (Selected Pages of Don Quixote of La Mancha)
Medium: Lithograph on velin de Rives B.F.K. pur fil paper
Dimensions: 16.125 x 12.875 inches (40.96 x 32.70 cm)
Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered as issued
Date: 1957
Publisher: Joseph Foret, Editeur, Paris
Printer: Dominique Viglino, Bourg-la-Reine
Catalogue raisonne references: Field, Albert, and Salvador Dali. The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali. S. Dali Archives, 1996, illustration 57-1; Michler, Ralf, et al. Salvador Dali : Catalogue Raisonne of Prints. Prestel, 1994, illustration 1000-1012.
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the folio Pages choisies de Don Quichotte de la Manche (Selected Pages of Don Quixote of La Mancha), 1957
Notes:
Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), Selected pages of Don Quichotte. This work, composed by hand in Garamont corps trente-six and whose designed initials were engraved on wood, was completed printing, for the typography, on October XXVIII, MCMLVII, on the presses of Dominique Viglino, art printer at Bourg-la-Reine. From this masterpiece by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quichotte de la Manche, selected pages illustrated with original color lithographs by Salvador Dali, consisting of three double pages and nine plates (full page), there were printed CXCVII examples, numbered as follows: I example on grand parchemin double, lettered A, accompanied by VIII watercolors by Salvador Dali used in establishing his lithographs, a suite in colors on Japon nacre, with an aquarelle remarque by Salvador Dali, a second suite on Japon imperial, a third suite on Arches pur fil, as well as the color separations of all the lithographs. III examples on papier Japon nacre, lettered B, C, D, accompanied by I watercolor by Salvador Dali used in establishing his lithographs, a suite in colors on Japon imperial with aquarelle remarque by Salvador Dali, a suite on papier de Rives pur fil, as well as the color separation of one of the lithographs. XXV examples on papier Velin d'Arches pur fil filigrane, numbered in Roman numerals from I to XXV, accompanied by a suite in colors on Japon nacre, as well as a second suite on papier de Rives pur fil. L examples on Velin de Rives B.F.K. pur fil, numbered in Arabic numerals from I to L, with a suite in colors on papier Japon imperial. CXVIII examples on Velin de Rives B.F.K. pur fil, numbered in Arabic numerals from LI to CLXVIII. In addition, X examples hors commerce were printed on papier de Rives numerotes H.C. I a X, some reserved for the artist and the collaborators. Furthermore, for the Librairie L'Amateur de Bueno-Ayres, XXV examples on Rives were reserved, lettered from A to Z.
About the Publication:
Pages choisies de Don Quichotte de la Manche (Selected Pages of Don Quixote of La Mancha), published in Paris in 1957 by Joseph Foret and printed by Dominique Viglino at Bourg-la-Reine, represents one of the most ambitious twentieth century illustrated editions devoted to Miguel de Cervantes' literary masterpiece. Conceived within the rich tradition of the French livre d'artiste, the publication united selected passages from Don Quixote with a cycle of original color lithographs by Salvador Dali. Joseph Foret, renowned for producing highly refined bibliophile editions during the mid twentieth century, collaborated with master typographers, engravers, and printers to create a work distinguished by exceptional craftsmanship. The text was composed by hand in Garamont type and accompanied by elaborately engraved woodcut initials, while the lithographs were printed on fine papers including Japon nacre, Japon imperial, Velin d'Arches pur fil, and Velin de Rives B.F.K. pur fil. Deluxe examples included watercolor studies by Dali, color separation suites, and additional impressions reserved for collectors and collaborators. Through its fusion of literary heritage, Surrealist imagery, and masterful printing techniques, the publication stands as a remarkable example of the modern illustrated folio and reflects the enduring fascination of twentieth century artists with Cervantes' timeless narrative.
About the Artist:
Salvador Dali (1904–1989) was a Spanish painter, draughtsman, printmaker, sculptor, designer, filmmaker, and writer whose astonishing technical virtuosity, theatrical imagination, and psychologically charged dream imagery established him as one of the most celebrated and recognizable artists of the twentieth century and one of the defining figures of the Surrealist movement. Born in Figueres in Catalonia, Spain, Dali demonstrated exceptional artistic talent at an early age and later studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, where he absorbed the traditions of Renaissance draftsmanship, Spanish Golden Age painting, and the radical visual innovations transforming modern European art. During this formative period he became aware of the revolutionary achievements of Pablo Picasso, whose Cubist experiments reshaped modern painting, while also engaging with the poetic symbolism of Joan Miro, the experimental photography of Man Ray, the conceptual provocations of Marcel Duchamp, the sculptural investigations of Alberto Giacometti and Alexander Calder, and the spiritual abstraction of Wassily Kandinsky. In the late 1920s Dali moved to Paris and joined the Surrealist circle led by Andre Breton, quickly distinguishing himself through his extraordinary technical skill and his ability to translate psychoanalytic ideas into unforgettable visual form. It was during this period that he developed the paranoiac-critical method, a process intended to access the subconscious through controlled irrational associations, enabling him to create images that shift between multiple interpretations and symbolic meanings. Through this method he produced some of the most iconic works of modern art, including The Persistence of Memory, The Great Masturbator, and Soft Construction with Boiled Beans, paintings that introduced imagery such as melting clocks, distorted landscapes, and dreamlike spaces rendered with the precision of Old Master painting. Throughout his prolific career Dali worked across painting, sculpture, printmaking, jewelry design, photography, theater, literature, and film, collaborating with figures such as Luis Bunuel on the landmark Surrealist film Un Chien Andalou, designing the dream sequence for Alfred Hitchcock's film Spellbound, and even producing experimental animation with Walt Disney. Dali also became one of the twentieth century's most prolific printmakers, producing extensive bodies of etchings, lithographs, and illustrated works that brought Surrealist imagery to collectors worldwide. His flamboyant public persona and instantly recognizable mustache made him a cultural icon, yet beneath the spectacle lay a disciplined artist deeply informed by art history, drawing inspiration from Renaissance and Baroque masters such as Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Velazquez, and Vermeer while pushing painting toward psychological and symbolic exploration. Dali's imaginative universe influenced generations of artists across many disciplines, including Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst, Matthew Barney, and numerous contemporary painters, photographers, filmmakers, and designers exploring dream imagery, hyperrealism, symbolism, and the subconscious mind. Today his works are held in many of the world's leading museum collections, including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate in London, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Salvador Dali's paintings, sculptures, drawings, and graphic works remain among the most recognizable and widely collected works of twentieth century art, and the highest auction record for a painting by Salvador Dali is Portrait de Paul Eluard (1929), which sold for 21,671,500 GBP at Sotheby's London on February 10, 2011, confirming his lasting importance in the international art market and the continuing demand for his visionary works among collectors worldwide.
Salvador Dali Don Quichotte a la tete qui eclate Don Quixote 1957 lithograph surrealist print.
