The Dali Legacy by Christopher Heath Brown & Jean-Pierre Isbouts

 

I’m a longtime fan of Salvador Dali’s artwork. I have even visited the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida back in 2008 with my husband before the museum moved to its current location. 

Since I’m a Dali fan, I’ve decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of The Dali Legacy by Christopher Heath Brown & Jean-Pierre Isbouts and narrated by Charlie Thurston. 

Listening time for The Dali Legacy by Christopher Heath Brown & Jean-Pierre Isbouts is 6 hours, 28 minutes.

I truly enjoyed listening to this work of nonfiction. I learned a lot of things I never knew about Salvador Dali's life before reading this book uncluding a lot of history about Spain, the Surrealist movement itself, other artists of the time, Dali's thoughts on various current events, and what had the most impact/influence on his artwork. I also enjoyed the detailed deep dive into some of Dali's most famous works and what the symbology in these works meant.

If you're at all curious about Salvador Dali, other artists during the day, art in general, and history, then this book is most definitely for you. If you enjoy audiobooks, then you'll also enjoy Charlie Thurston's narration of The Dali Legacy.

Below is the publisher's summary for The Dali Legacy by Christopher Heath Brown & Jean-Pierre Isbouts from Chirp's website:

In turns beloved and reviled, twentieth century art, painter, filmmaker, and designer Salvador Dali set Europe and the United States ablaze with his uncompromising genius, sexual sadism, and flirtations with megalomania. His shocking behavior and work frequently alienated critics; his views were so outrageous, even prominent Surrealists tried to ostracize him. Still, every morning he experienced “an exquisite joy-the joy of being Salvador Dali,” and, through a remarkable talent that invited bewilderment, anger, and adoration, rose to unprecedented levels of fame-forever shifting the landscape of the art world and the nature of celebrity itself. In this stunning volume, noted art historians Jean-Pierre Isbouts and Christopher Heath Brown discuss the historical, social, and political conditions that shaped Dali’s work, identify the impact of Modern as well as Old Master art, and present an unflinching view of the master’s personal relationships and motivations. With their deeply compelling narrative, Isbouts and Brown uncover how Dali’s visual wit and enduring cult of personality still impacts fashion, literature, and art, from Andy Warhol to Lady Gaga, and seeks to answer why, in an age of shock and awe, Dali’s art still manages to distress, perplex, and entertain.

I am giving The Dali Legacy by Christopher Heath Brown & Jean-Pierre Isbouts a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!