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The Shameful Life of Salvador Dalí
Drawing on extensive original research and recently discovered sources, Ian Gibson presents a daringly original portrait of one of this century's most celebrated—and infamous—artists. He provides a full narrative of Dalí's life as artist and as uninhibited exhibitionist, from his wild and troubled youth through his often rollickingly funny adventures in Paris, New York, and Hollywood to his poignant last years. Here is Dalí fully revealed through his voluminous correspondence; his novel, poems, and essays; and interviews with some of those closest to him. The Shameful Life of Salvador Dalí reexamines the roles of the two most important individuals in the artist's life: the Spanish playwright and author Federico García Lorca and the enigmatic, libidinous Gala, the Russian émigré whose marriage Dalí broke up and with whom he subsequently lived in unconsummated bliss and terror. This is a truly incandescent life of the surrealist artist who caught the imagination of the twentieth century.
800 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 1997
21 people are currently reading
724 people want to read
About the author
Ian Gibson
242 books96 followersIan Gibson (born 21 April 1939) is an Irish author and Hispanist known for his biographies of Antonio Machado, Salvador Dalí, Henry Spencer Ashbee, and particularly his work on Federico García Lorca, for which he won several awards, including the 1989 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography. His work, La represión nacionalista de Granada en 1936 y la muerte de Federico García Lorca (The nationalistic repression of Granada in 1936 and the death of Federico García Lorca) was banned in Spain under Franco.
Born into a Methodist Dublin family, he was educated at Newtown School in Waterford and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin. He became a professor of Spanish literature at Belfast and London universities before moving to Spain. His first novel, Viento del Sur (Wind of the South, 2001), written in Spanish, examines class, religion, family life, and public schools in British society through the fictitious autobiography of a character named John Hill, an English linguist and academic. It won favourable reviews in Spain.
Gibson has also worked in television on projects centering around his scholarly work in Spanish history, having served as a historical consultant and even acting in one historical drama.
He was granted a Spanish passport in 1984.
Born into a Methodist Dublin family, he was educated at Newtown School in Waterford and graduated from Trinity College, Dublin. He became a professor of Spanish literature at Belfast and London universities before moving to Spain. His first novel, Viento del Sur (Wind of the South, 2001), written in Spanish, examines class, religion, family life, and public schools in British society through the fictitious autobiography of a character named John Hill, an English linguist and academic. It won favourable reviews in Spain.
Gibson has also worked in television on projects centering around his scholarly work in Spanish history, having served as a historical consultant and even acting in one historical drama.
He was granted a Spanish passport in 1984.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 22, 2014
“There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman thinks he is sane. I know I am mad.” Salvador Dali
To speak in today’s parlance – “this is one weird dude”. This is a marvelous tale capturing the eclectic Dali in all his manic ways.
With Dali everything was on the table; he was a living shock and awe.
Here are some of the titles of his paintings:
The Profanation of the Host
The Great Masturbator
Soft Construction with Boiled Beans
The Great Paranoiac
Young Virgin Auto-Sodomized by the Horns of Her Own Chastity
Autumn Cannibalism
The Lugubrious Game 44.4 x 30.3 cm
Soft Construction with Boiled Beans 100 x 99 cm
At a surrealist lecture in London in 1936 he showed up dressed in a diving suit.
I learnt the meaning of the word “coprophagia”.
As a painter Dali is second to none for uniqueness – at least in the twentieth century – for the melange of themes, the intricate details. The technical features of his work are to behold.
Some of his paintings are quite small. “The Persistence of Memory” is only 24 x 33 cm. In the latter half of his life some of his canvases were much larger – somewhat like his lifestyle which became more and more grandiose.
There is so much scattered detail in his paintings it becomes difficult to know where to apply your focus.
The author takes us through the major influences on Dali’s life. Ultimately Dali’s paintings all reflect the landscape where he was brought up in Spain – in the Cadaques region. He lived significant periods of his life in France (mostly Paris) and in the U.S. (during the Second World War) – but you would not know this from his paintings.
In fact his paintings are all about his inward turmoil. Seldom have I seen an artist whose works are so self-centred. It is a constant psychological journey through the inner recesses of his mind. Part of the great beauty is that I don’t think Dali himself knew what to make of his paintings.
Dali went to art school and was highly influenced by the anarchic lifestyles of Federico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunuel. Lorca was a multi-talented singer-writer-poet who was also gay, not something that was easy in Spain during the 1920’s. Dali never got over the tragic murder of Lorca in 1936 by the right-wing nationalists during the Civil War in Spain. Bunuel was a film-maker – and Dali actively participated with him in the making of two films, L’Age d’Or and Un Chien Andalou; which to this day are still considered controversial and avant garde. In many ways these two men prompted Dali out of his shell and placed him in the fore-front of the surrealistic art world.
Surrealism during the 1920’s and 1930’s was seen as a way of life –not just an art form. It was highly influenced by Freud, and Dali himself thought the world of Freud. Surrealism, through its’ purported leader, Andre Breton, was linked to the working class and Marxist-Leninism. Dali started breaking away from this viewpoint in the 1930’s when Civil War broke out in Spain – and Dali refused to support the communist backed Republicans. I disagree with the author that Dali betrayed Breton along with the surrealist movement. Dali adhered to no group or movement. Breton could believe that surrealism and communism were out to save mankind. Dali only believed in himself, besides he was starting to be recognized as a major artist and to make money.
The other major influence (actually more of a force) on Dali’s life was when he met Gala in 1930, who at that time was married to Paul Eluard. Dali and Gala commenced an affair and to the extent that it was possible, Gala liberated Dali from his sexual inhibitions, his sexual shame and some of his other phobias. Gala was a “liberated woman” who would walk topless on the beaches near Dali’s family compound in Spain – causing much gazing and consternation among the locals. Dali venerated Gala and eventually they married after Paul Eluard died in 1952.
Galarina 64.1 x 50.2 cm
The Spectre of Sex Appeal 18 x 14 cm
As Dali aged, and Spain reverted to an autocratic government, Dali professed his Catholicism. This seemed about as sincere as his worshipping of the working class communists during his youthful 1920’s.
Page 581 (my book) When Dali was released from hospital in 1980 he said to a gathering of journalists:
“that [he] was no longer afraid of dying because he had discovered to his relief that God was tiny.”
Dali was a megalomaniac. In his writings he would refer to himself in the third person as in “Dali has said...”.One of his books was called “Diary of a Genius”. The author quotes frequently from Dali’s books and journals, which are passionate and impressive – and also manic. Dali exuded a charisma to all around him and attracted an entourage of followers. Except for the last years of his life he worked constantly, but started many projects that went nowhere.
This is stupendous and detailed biography of a major force in twentieth century art.
Page 415: Peyton Boswell in Art Digest
Dali was 20,000 volts of uninhibited energy. His is a diseased, sadistic, nihilistic art expression, but undeniably it has the hypnotic gift of exciting even those who are surfeited with the acres and acres of canvases...Dali’s is a voice of his time... incongruous juxtapositions of familiar objects.
Illumined Pleasures 24 x 34.5 cm
To speak in today’s parlance – “this is one weird dude”. This is a marvelous tale capturing the eclectic Dali in all his manic ways.
With Dali everything was on the table; he was a living shock and awe.
Here are some of the titles of his paintings:
The Profanation of the Host
The Great Masturbator
Soft Construction with Boiled Beans
The Great Paranoiac
Young Virgin Auto-Sodomized by the Horns of Her Own Chastity
Autumn Cannibalism
The Lugubrious Game 44.4 x 30.3 cm
Soft Construction with Boiled Beans 100 x 99 cm
At a surrealist lecture in London in 1936 he showed up dressed in a diving suit.
I learnt the meaning of the word “coprophagia”.
As a painter Dali is second to none for uniqueness – at least in the twentieth century – for the melange of themes, the intricate details. The technical features of his work are to behold.
Some of his paintings are quite small. “The Persistence of Memory” is only 24 x 33 cm. In the latter half of his life some of his canvases were much larger – somewhat like his lifestyle which became more and more grandiose.
There is so much scattered detail in his paintings it becomes difficult to know where to apply your focus.
The author takes us through the major influences on Dali’s life. Ultimately Dali’s paintings all reflect the landscape where he was brought up in Spain – in the Cadaques region. He lived significant periods of his life in France (mostly Paris) and in the U.S. (during the Second World War) – but you would not know this from his paintings.
In fact his paintings are all about his inward turmoil. Seldom have I seen an artist whose works are so self-centred. It is a constant psychological journey through the inner recesses of his mind. Part of the great beauty is that I don’t think Dali himself knew what to make of his paintings.
Dali went to art school and was highly influenced by the anarchic lifestyles of Federico Garcia Lorca and Luis Bunuel. Lorca was a multi-talented singer-writer-poet who was also gay, not something that was easy in Spain during the 1920’s. Dali never got over the tragic murder of Lorca in 1936 by the right-wing nationalists during the Civil War in Spain. Bunuel was a film-maker – and Dali actively participated with him in the making of two films, L’Age d’Or and Un Chien Andalou; which to this day are still considered controversial and avant garde. In many ways these two men prompted Dali out of his shell and placed him in the fore-front of the surrealistic art world.
Surrealism during the 1920’s and 1930’s was seen as a way of life –not just an art form. It was highly influenced by Freud, and Dali himself thought the world of Freud. Surrealism, through its’ purported leader, Andre Breton, was linked to the working class and Marxist-Leninism. Dali started breaking away from this viewpoint in the 1930’s when Civil War broke out in Spain – and Dali refused to support the communist backed Republicans. I disagree with the author that Dali betrayed Breton along with the surrealist movement. Dali adhered to no group or movement. Breton could believe that surrealism and communism were out to save mankind. Dali only believed in himself, besides he was starting to be recognized as a major artist and to make money.
The other major influence (actually more of a force) on Dali’s life was when he met Gala in 1930, who at that time was married to Paul Eluard. Dali and Gala commenced an affair and to the extent that it was possible, Gala liberated Dali from his sexual inhibitions, his sexual shame and some of his other phobias. Gala was a “liberated woman” who would walk topless on the beaches near Dali’s family compound in Spain – causing much gazing and consternation among the locals. Dali venerated Gala and eventually they married after Paul Eluard died in 1952.
Galarina 64.1 x 50.2 cm
The Spectre of Sex Appeal 18 x 14 cm
As Dali aged, and Spain reverted to an autocratic government, Dali professed his Catholicism. This seemed about as sincere as his worshipping of the working class communists during his youthful 1920’s.
Page 581 (my book) When Dali was released from hospital in 1980 he said to a gathering of journalists:
“that [he] was no longer afraid of dying because he had discovered to his relief that God was tiny.”
Dali was a megalomaniac. In his writings he would refer to himself in the third person as in “Dali has said...”.One of his books was called “Diary of a Genius”. The author quotes frequently from Dali’s books and journals, which are passionate and impressive – and also manic. Dali exuded a charisma to all around him and attracted an entourage of followers. Except for the last years of his life he worked constantly, but started many projects that went nowhere.
This is stupendous and detailed biography of a major force in twentieth century art.
Page 415: Peyton Boswell in Art Digest
Dali was 20,000 volts of uninhibited energy. His is a diseased, sadistic, nihilistic art expression, but undeniably it has the hypnotic gift of exciting even those who are surfeited with the acres and acres of canvases...Dali’s is a voice of his time... incongruous juxtapositions of familiar objects.
Illumined Pleasures 24 x 34.5 cm
August 29, 2021
Relectura de la (potser) més interessant biografia del gran geni de Figueres. Publicada originàriament el 1998, guanya validesa llegida amb els ulls d'avui en dia perquè descobreixes que, si fós viu, avui Dalí seria un gran "influencer". L'autor indica en un breu epileg de cinc pàgines el que ha desgranat a les més de 800 anteriors: que hi hagué un abans i un després de la Guerra Civil. Dalí fou un especialista en adaptar-se a les circumstàncies (com a bon polític...): durant l'època de les avantguardes artístiques veié en el surrealisme el moviment que més s'adaptava a la seva visió del món i es presentava com al més revolucionari dels revolucionaris; però quan Franco guanya la guerra li falta temps per convertir-se en un catòlic de tota la vida i bolcar-se en lloances al nou règim. Aquest canvi de "Dalí persona" és també un canvi de "Dalí artista": als anys 20-30 fou un dels principals referents mundials de la pintura, i a partir d'aleshores (i sobretot, a partir dels anys 60) l'espectacle passà a ser ell mateix. Tot figuerenc que el coneixia sabia que era una persona normal que quan veia una càmara de TV o a un simple periodista es posava en el seu paper de persona excèntrica.
Lectura, doncs, necessària. No apta per als aduladors de la seva figura; imprescindible per als que els faci gràcia conèixer una persona avançada al seu temps, capaç de donar el que el mercat exigia i que sabia que la coherència l'has de deixar enrere si vols fer diners i mantenir el teu estil de vida.
Lectura, doncs, necessària. No apta per als aduladors de la seva figura; imprescindible per als que els faci gràcia conèixer una persona avançada al seu temps, capaç de donar el que el mercat exigia i que sabia que la coherència l'has de deixar enrere si vols fer diners i mantenir el teu estil de vida.
July 3, 2021
(i’d really give this 3.5 probably but ill go w a solid 4. i expect my royalties mr. gibson)
the best thing about this book is that it truly is hilarious. ian gibson is SO funny (and almost bitchy?) in the narration that it made reading salvador dalí’s thoughts and actions bearable. i’ve seen some reviews saying ian gibson clearly hates salvador dalí as though that is a bad thing. first of all, salvador dalí was a racist antisemitic fascist megalomaniac so i think probably we should all, at the very least, mildly dislike him. and second of all it is the clear scorn ian gibson possesses for him that makes this book come alive. arguably its this book’s strength! gibson really cuts through the self aggrandizing myth that still perpetuates thirty or so years after his death, and he does it in a really funny way. i’m into it i think it’s incredible amazing showstopping etc etc
the worst thing for me personally (and others have already mentioned this) is the transphobic handling of amanda lear’s involvement in dalí’s life. that gibson went out of his way to “prove” lear was transgender is a gross violation of her privacy, but even beyond this she was only really included as a evidence to prove dalí’s bisexuality or whatever, thus rendering lear and all other trans people as some sexual fantasy/fetish for repressed has-been fascists. (not to mention there was ample evidence available to support this claim without harassing lear) added to this is a sprinkling of misogyny in how he discussed both lear’s and gala’s impact on dalí’s art, which is to say he barely discussed it. i think gibson should pay lear $1 million.
i have the impression gibson got bored (or just sick of dalí) after the 40s, and i cant really blame him — dalí was a one trick pony by that point — but that’s what the biographer’s job is. and i have a feeling this is why the last part of the book feels lacking and his claims feel unsupported. he was particularly vicious towards gala at the end with little evidence to back it up — i have no idea if it was the dalís increased privacy or a lack of interest on gibson’s part or just posthumous vindication for our best friend federico garcía lorca. but in any case i would have liked more substance towards the end.
another problem i’ve got w gibson is his psychoanalysis of dalí through his work. i’ll be the first to admit that one’s artistic output does reveal aspects of one’s personality but if it’s not handled very delicately it can go too far and completely erase the artistic agency of the creator. artists will draw inspiration from the real world and tweak it to varying degrees. thats just how art works. there were a few times in his lorca biography when i thought gibson went overboard (particularly with the stanton poem — i’m sure lorca just tweaked the details to write a more emotionally compelling narrative, not worth the time gibson spent on it) but i thought it was particularly egregious in this book, especially when he has clearly stated that dalí constantly put up a mask. there’s was one poem dalí wrote alluding to incest and gibson was like “maybe he and ana maria had incestuous relations??????” like NO ian you can’t just SAY that without anything to back it up! certainly not dalí’s shitty poem!! that being said it was very funny when gibson used freudian analysis against dalí, and i hate freud so that’s saying something.
i feel like im dunking on this too much 😔 it really was a compelling read, and a very interesting take on who the real salvador dalí might be. it’s so obvious that the majority of his life he put up a front and it’s obnoxious when people act as though that was the real man and also never mention the fact that he was a fascist. it’s a critical look that’s well written and talks a lot about my best friend federico garcía lorca which i appreciate. and it compelled me enough to write a review, which i never do for anything ever.
i recommend this book for haters, people who like federico garcía lorca, and fans of homophobic homosexual romtragicomedies.
fun drinking game: take a drink every time someone, gibson or otherwise, insinuates dalí is a fruit
the best thing about this book is that it truly is hilarious. ian gibson is SO funny (and almost bitchy?) in the narration that it made reading salvador dalí’s thoughts and actions bearable. i’ve seen some reviews saying ian gibson clearly hates salvador dalí as though that is a bad thing. first of all, salvador dalí was a racist antisemitic fascist megalomaniac so i think probably we should all, at the very least, mildly dislike him. and second of all it is the clear scorn ian gibson possesses for him that makes this book come alive. arguably its this book’s strength! gibson really cuts through the self aggrandizing myth that still perpetuates thirty or so years after his death, and he does it in a really funny way. i’m into it i think it’s incredible amazing showstopping etc etc
the worst thing for me personally (and others have already mentioned this) is the transphobic handling of amanda lear’s involvement in dalí’s life. that gibson went out of his way to “prove” lear was transgender is a gross violation of her privacy, but even beyond this she was only really included as a evidence to prove dalí’s bisexuality or whatever, thus rendering lear and all other trans people as some sexual fantasy/fetish for repressed has-been fascists. (not to mention there was ample evidence available to support this claim without harassing lear) added to this is a sprinkling of misogyny in how he discussed both lear’s and gala’s impact on dalí’s art, which is to say he barely discussed it. i think gibson should pay lear $1 million.
i have the impression gibson got bored (or just sick of dalí) after the 40s, and i cant really blame him — dalí was a one trick pony by that point — but that’s what the biographer’s job is. and i have a feeling this is why the last part of the book feels lacking and his claims feel unsupported. he was particularly vicious towards gala at the end with little evidence to back it up — i have no idea if it was the dalís increased privacy or a lack of interest on gibson’s part or just posthumous vindication for our best friend federico garcía lorca. but in any case i would have liked more substance towards the end.
another problem i’ve got w gibson is his psychoanalysis of dalí through his work. i’ll be the first to admit that one’s artistic output does reveal aspects of one’s personality but if it’s not handled very delicately it can go too far and completely erase the artistic agency of the creator. artists will draw inspiration from the real world and tweak it to varying degrees. thats just how art works. there were a few times in his lorca biography when i thought gibson went overboard (particularly with the stanton poem — i’m sure lorca just tweaked the details to write a more emotionally compelling narrative, not worth the time gibson spent on it) but i thought it was particularly egregious in this book, especially when he has clearly stated that dalí constantly put up a mask. there’s was one poem dalí wrote alluding to incest and gibson was like “maybe he and ana maria had incestuous relations??????” like NO ian you can’t just SAY that without anything to back it up! certainly not dalí’s shitty poem!! that being said it was very funny when gibson used freudian analysis against dalí, and i hate freud so that’s saying something.
i feel like im dunking on this too much 😔 it really was a compelling read, and a very interesting take on who the real salvador dalí might be. it’s so obvious that the majority of his life he put up a front and it’s obnoxious when people act as though that was the real man and also never mention the fact that he was a fascist. it’s a critical look that’s well written and talks a lot about my best friend federico garcía lorca which i appreciate. and it compelled me enough to write a review, which i never do for anything ever.
i recommend this book for haters, people who like federico garcía lorca, and fans of homophobic homosexual romtragicomedies.
fun drinking game: take a drink every time someone, gibson or otherwise, insinuates dalí is a fruit
August 24, 2014
A nadie sorprenderían realmente las extravagancias, rarezas y poco usuales aficiones de Salvador Dalí, crees que has leído lo habido y por haber de uno de tus pintores favoritos cuando llega Ian Gibson y zas!
Gibson presenta un Dalí retorcido, difícil, creativo hasta el extremo pero obsesionado con ir escalando posiciones en la sociedad española, francesa e incluso norteamericana. Un Dalí amante del dinero sin escrúpulos a veces y siempre cegado por un deseo sexual insaciable y frustrado, a menudo digno de un profundo estudio psiquiátrico.
Se trata de la autobiografía más detallada y bien argumentada que cualquier lector pudiera imaginar, lo que la hace sumamente interesante aunque cueste terminar algunos pasajes debido a la marabunda de nombres y lugares que el autor cita.
Una pieza fundamental para estudiantes de la obra daliniana y el arte contemporáneo en general.
Gibson presenta un Dalí retorcido, difícil, creativo hasta el extremo pero obsesionado con ir escalando posiciones en la sociedad española, francesa e incluso norteamericana. Un Dalí amante del dinero sin escrúpulos a veces y siempre cegado por un deseo sexual insaciable y frustrado, a menudo digno de un profundo estudio psiquiátrico.
Se trata de la autobiografía más detallada y bien argumentada que cualquier lector pudiera imaginar, lo que la hace sumamente interesante aunque cueste terminar algunos pasajes debido a la marabunda de nombres y lugares que el autor cita.
Una pieza fundamental para estudiantes de la obra daliniana y el arte contemporáneo en general.
August 25, 2014
I'd been searching for a detailed biography of Salvador Dali on and off for years and finally stumbled on this one. I wanted to try and understand what made Dali tick as an artist and author Ian Gibson has done a masterful job in linking Dali's life and his art in a way that makes so much sense. While I can't say I will ever truly understand Dali's art, I feel I have a far better understanding than before.
This book is impressively well researched and beautifully written. Despite it's length (and studying for my final exams) I read this book in less than two weeks. Excellent jobs.
This book is impressively well researched and beautifully written. Despite it's length (and studying for my final exams) I read this book in less than two weeks. Excellent jobs.
August 2, 2008
I'm totally lying when I say I've read this book. I didn't: I read maybe half of it, skimmed some more and then gave up. It's REALLY LONG. Clearly a labour of love, Gibson has researched every aspect of Dali's life (wanna know about Dali's grandfather? good, 'cause that's in there!). However, unless you're an academic or vry srs reader, you'll probably find yourself yearning for a bit of précis.
March 13, 2010
So far this book is great.. I remember hearing a little bit about Salvador in High School but not much. I was always interested in him due to some of his work that I've seen.
Finished it!!! Salvador was certainly a character! But That's what made him beautiful. U can't love people in slices ya know?
Finished it!!! Salvador was certainly a character! But That's what made him beautiful. U can't love people in slices ya know?
January 14, 2020
La mejor biografía sobre este genio español y uno de los trabajos biográficos más impactantes sobre cualquier artista o creador que se hayan escrito. Gibson es un excelso investigador, como los hay pocos en Hispanoamérica.
February 12, 2008
Excellent. Fascinating...a compulsive read. What a strange and brilliant artist! and how much Gala helped him reach the public.. .One cannot underestimate her role in his life and work.
April 28, 2016
Desenmascaramiento del gran fantasma que fue Dalí.
November 23, 2018
An exhaustive look at Dali's life. Well-researched, and this very long book has wonderful color plates in the middle and black and white illustrations and photos throughout. It was definitely worth the time investment to get this snapshot of a time and place that I didn't know much about before.
October 2, 2017
A wonderfully-crafted, in-depth account of the life of Salvador Dali and his work.
This includes incredible insight to his life and his inspirations for his art.
This includes incredible insight to his life and his inspirations for his art.
May 15, 2020
Molt bona biografía de Dalí, molt ben documentada.
October 1, 2022
Prob very comprehensive but too wordy and bissed for me
July 22, 2016
This book is ok if you are looking to connect the dots of the 19th century art and literary world (and have a strong stomach), however it could have been done tastefully in about half the pages. The analysis of the art is zilch, so don't look for any. The extended details of Dali's sexual obsessions were grossly unnecessary for Gibson's points. (Yes, Dali was afraid of sex. Next!) There are interesting conversations with his would-be lover, the poet Federico Lorca (who was smarter than Dali by a mile) and collaborator Luis Buñuel among others. Gibson seems to propose that Dali's showy personality was a result of not being allowed to be reticent by his father and the macho Catalonian society, but I don't think he explains this well. Dali's claim to be a mystic like John of the Cross (making beautiful paintings of his drawings) had me smiling as did the stories of him wearing a diving suit to an exhibit. Gibson's best known work is the other half of the Lorca-Dali tale, Lorca. I think I'll pass on that one.
July 24, 2008
Totally in-depth review of the artist life from childhood through death. Very insightfull look at a hard-to-know artist.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews