Surreal - by Michele Gerber Klein (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From the author of Charles James: Portrait of an Unreasonable Man, the long-awaited biography of Gala Dalâi, whose face is known been many and whose story is known by few, until now. SURREAL presents the riveting life story of Gala, Salvador Dalâi's wife, partner, and muse. A charismatic, uninhibited, very human woman, she was a force majeure in pre-war Paris' legendary Surrealist circles where she was idolized as 'the mother of Surrealism.' As Dalâi's great love, artistic collaborator, and the genius behind his vast fortune, Gala inflected the cultural history of the twentieth century. But despite her influence on Western art and literature, very little is known about her life. Gala was a paradoxical figure, with a charisma that drew people to her but a reserved nature that kept her secrets hidden. She was a survivor of two World Wars, the Russian Revolution, and the Spanish Civil War. She was miserly, but also a brilliant promoter and marketing virtuoso who made millions for herself, her husband, and their entourage. Despite her notoriety, Gala was never properly acknowledged or understood, and records of her life story and accomplishments remain fragmented. SURREAL brings her life into focus and assembles the full picture of this fascinating and powerful woman"--

Book Synopsis

"Michele Gerber Klein--at long last--gives Gala Dalí the close-up she deserves. When Gala met Salvador, they met their destinies. Surreal takes us backstage at the endless performance piece that was the couple's life's work and life's play--a salient ingredient--and reshuffles art history along the way. Pour a stiff Pernod or Absinthe, kick back, and enjoy this delightfully sparking read."--Brad Gooch, author of Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring

"Original, engaging, and fiercely intelligent, Gala Dalí has at last inspired a biography that shares her own best qualities. In this brilliant book, Klein illuminates the crucial importance that Gala held not only for her famous husbands and lovers, but for avant-garde art as a whole."--Caroline Weber, author of Proust's Duchess and Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution

Surreal, the long-awaited, definitive biography of Gala Dalí, 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 lovers and husbands with tenderness, courage, and agency.

Using previously undiscovered material, Surreal tells the riveting story of Gala Dalí, (1894-1982) who broke away from her cultured but penurious background in pre-Revolutionary Russia to live in Paris with both France's most famous poet Paul Éluard and Max Ernst. By the time she met the budding artist Salvador Dalí in 1929, Gala was known as the Mother of Surrealism. She rapidly became his mentor, muse, 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. She was the survivor of two world wars, the Russian revolution and the Spanish Civil War, and lived between France, Spain and the U.S. As this definitive Gala Dalí biography reveals, she was a heroine whose originality captivated people wherever she went, and her life story has everything: size; glamour; drama; true love, twisted love; ambition; money; art; defiance; daring and sweeping social unrest. In this vivid, detailed rendering, Michèle Gerber Klein has brought Gala out of the shadows to reveal a charismatic figure who played a pivotal role in 20th century art yet has never received the full recognition she deserves.

This vivid biography uncovers the truth of the woman who shaped Surrealism:

• The Mother of Surrealism: Discover how Gala's influence extended beyond Salvador Dalí to shape the careers of poet Paul Éluard and artist Max Ernst, placing her at the epicenter of the avant-garde.
• A Business-Minded Muse: Go behind the scenes as Gala masterfully manages Salvador Dalí's career, transforming his otherworldly talent into a global brand and a vast fortune.
• Russian Roots, Global Reach: Follow her journey from a cultured background in pre-Revolutionary Russia through two world wars and the Spanish Civil War as she becomes a global ambassador for a new kind of art.
• Unseen Archives: Drawing on previously undiscovered letters and materials, this definitive account finally brings the charismatic and complex Gala out of the shadows and into the spotlight she deserves.

Review Quotes

"Michele Gerber Klein--at long last--gives Gala Dalí the close-up she deserves. When Gala met Salvador, they met their destinies. The more she erased herself in marrying the soon-to-be world-famous Surrealist, the more she recreated herself as muse, fan wife, money manager, life coach, artistic collaborator, and model for some of the most sensuous portraits of a mature woman ever painted. Surreal takes us backstage at the endless performance piece that was the couple's life's work and life's play--a salient ingredient--and reshuffles art history along the way. Pour a stiff Pernod or Absinthe, kick back, and enjoy this delightfully sparking read." - Brad Gooch, author of Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring

"Gerber Klein's exquisitely portrayed and wickedly amusing account is a romp through the annals and escapades of an avant-garde movement that profoundly informs artistic discourse today. The life of Gala Dalí offers a through line of the Surrealist movement linking many of its key artists and writers. Intimate tales of Salvador and Gala Dalí, André Breton, Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, Tristan Tzara, and Federico García Lorca abound. As wife, lover, muse, model, artist, collaborator, performer, chronicler, editor, designer, publicist, and entrepreneur, Gala's unique hybrid role initially repelled but ultimately deeply influenced her period's male-dominated cultural clique." - Adam D. Weinberg, Director Emeritus, Whitney Museum of American Art

"This compelling biography explores the making of Gala Dalí, a force of life who was not only ahead of her time and but a pivotal figure within Surrealism's creative maelstrom. More than fascinating expose of Gala's life and times, Surreal sheds new light on the artistic themes that resonate so powerfully with generations of artists that have followed, including those with whom I have a heartfelt connection." - Manuela Wirth, Chairwoman and President of Hauser & Wirth

"A vivid portrait of a formidable woman who was by turns an inspiration, a force, a muse, lover, and a tiger." - Daphne Merkin, author of 22 Minutes of Unconditional Love

"Original, engaging, and fiercely intelligent, Gala Dalí has at last inspired a biography that shares her own best qualities. In this brilliant book, Klein illuminates the crucial importance that Gala held not only for her famous husbands and lovers, but for avant-garde art as a whole." - Caroline Weber, author of Proust's Duchess and Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution

"Echoing her subject's vim, at a fast clip that never lags and often surprises, Michèle Gerber Klein shows how Gala Dalí put the 'extra' in her extraordinary, century-defining life. Designer, author, model, fashion icon, mother, publicist, business partner, architect of her husband's career--Gala's ambitions took over whatever room and role she found herself in. Surreal is a spirited journey around the world and through a life that was an enigmatic work of art." - Prudence Peiffer, author of The Slip and director of content at MoMA, New York

"An overdue, comprehensive biography of a Surrealist instigator. Klein's account of one of the driving forces of the Surrealist movement is wonderfully thorough and rescues Gala Dalí from being cast in the role of 'mere' muse, reclaiming her as the definitive artist and collaborator she was . . . . convincingly demonstrates how Gala was a singular player in the development of a major 20th-century art movement..." - Kirkus Reviews

"Ms. Klein ably sifts the performative from the genuine . . . . her thorough sleuthing piles up evidence for Gala's legacy. Unsung no longer, the Svengali behind Surrealism's antics gets her due." - Wall Street Journal

"The first serious, deeply researched biography of a woman long overshadowed by the men she inspired. Drawing on untranslated diaries, previously unexamined archives, and interviews with Gala's granddaughter and former confidantes, Klein restores agency and dimension to a figure often flattened by history." - Vogue

"A textured, comprehensive portrait . . . . an intriguing look into the growth of the Surrealist movement and the unseen power dynamics that underlie how art gets made and who gets credit. Enriched by a novelist's flair for detail, it's a worthy tribute to an enigmatic figure in art history." - Publishers Weekly

"In Michèle Gerber Klein's new biography, Surreal, Gala Dalí gets her due . . . . Gerber Klein concludes that Gala Dalí was more than a muse and more than a partner--that what she did was unquantifiable. But one thing is certain: Whatever else, she was a woman who knew her own worth."

- New York Times Book Review

"There was never just one genius in the Dalí household. This revealing biography of the incredibly influential but often overlooked Gala Dalí dives into the life of the woman who was known as the Mother of Surrealism, and explores how her taste in culture, art, and fashion, paired with her sharp mind for business, helped influence generations of artists and their admirers, and created a roadmap for creative collaboration that was decades ahead of its time." - Town & Country