Salvador Dali (Spanish, 1904-1989), Vermeer de Delft La Lettre, signed in pencil on lower right, also signed in plate, numbered 92/350 in pencil on lower left, an original lithograph on Arches paper (with Arches France watermark) published by Sidney Lucas, 1974. Vermeer's La Lettre is one of six works from the "Changes in Great Masterpieces" series. Master Dali has given us a most original and provocative concept. His contention is that most of us "look" but do not actually "see" the details in a work of art. For this reason Dali has honored six great paintings by selecting these masterworks to which he has made specific changes to tantalize the viewer into studying and comparing the original with his composition; a representation of the original painting also appears for this purpose. To further give us an example of Dalinean wit, he has provided a "remark" on each graphic in the form of an original lithograph relating to the actual subject. A superb limited edition lithograph signed in pencil by the artist and in excellent condition. Size: 35.5" L x 25" W (90.2 cm x 63.5 cm)

"Changes In Great Masterpieces" is composed of six lithographs in which Dali reinterprets five paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Raphael, and Velasquez (two by Velasquez). Dali considered these paintings to be the most important European masterpieces of the 17th Century. In typical Dali fashion, he also included himself in his pantheon of great master painters. The final, sixth work in the suite is his reinterpretation of his own masterpiece, "The Persistence of Memory".

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali i Domenech, Marquis of Dali de Pubol (May 11, 1904 – January 23, 1989) was a Spanish surrealist artist of Catalan ethnicity born in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain. One of the most famous artists that has ever lived, Dali was a prolific creator working in many mediums such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, writing, multi-media, photography, and filmmaking to name a few. He had a famously eccentric personality, and with his exceptional skill as a draftsman and his unusually imaginative view of the world, Dali captured the attention of the public wherever his work was displayed. He created his own personal philosophy which he called paranoid critical - a state in which one could simulate delusion while still maintaining one’s sanity - which influenced the Surrealist movement. Dali’s world of tapping into the unconscious using symbolism filled with themes from religion, death, eroticism, and decay has fascinated even those who were not frequent art lovers. Dali was a great showman and loved being adored by his public. But needless to say, he had the talent to sustain his popularity even after his death.

In January 1965 Master Salvador Dali appointed Sidney Z. Lucas, New York City art publisher, to be his exclusive publisher in North America of hand signed graphics, including original lithographs like this piece. As Dali's first North American publishers of original lithographs, the Lucas Gallery began a personal collaboration with Dali that lasted from 1965 to 1974.

Provenance: private Lucille Lucas collection, Crested Butte, Colorado, USA

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A limited edition lithograph signed in pencil by the artist - also signed in the plate - and in generally excellent condition.