The long-awaited, definitive biography of Gala Dalí, Surreal unmasks this famous yet little-known queen of the twentieth-century art world, who graced the canvases, inspired the poetry, and influenced the careers of her illustrious husbands and lovers.Using previously undiscovered material, Michèle Gerber Klein tells the riveting story of Gala Dalí, who broke away from the her cultured but penurious background in pre-Revolutionary Russia to live in Paris with both France's most famous poet, Paul Éluard, and artist Max Ernst. By the time she met the budding artist Salvador Dali in 1929, Gala was known as the Mother of Surrealism. She rapidly became his mentor and protector, marrying him in 1934 and subsequently engineering their vast fortune. At a time when artists were celebrities, Gala acted as the ambassador of the Surrealist movement, spreading its popularity across the globe.Gala was a heroine whose originality captivated people wherever she went, and her life story has everything : glamour; drama; true love, twisted love; ambition; money; art; defiance and daring. In this vivid, detailed rendering, Gala steps out of the shadows, revealing a charismatic figure who played a pivotal role in the art world, yet has never received the full recognition she deserves.Space for quotesvisit virago.co.uk£16.99
