Salvador Dalí (Spanish, 1904–1989)
Fisherman Mending His Nets, 1969
Mixed media on paper
57 × 76 cm (22½ × 29⅞ in.)
Signed “Dalí” and dated 1969, lower right
Accompanied by a certificate from the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Comissió d’Acreditació i Catalogació, dated May 26, 1997
Provenance: Galería David Cervelló, Barcelona; Private Collection, Spain
Price: on request
Location: Spain
Executed in 1969, this substantial original work on paper by Salvador Dalí presents an evocative Mediterranean scene centered upon a fisherman repairing his nets. Around him, Dalí assembles an almost dreamlike cast of figures and animals: cats move among the expansive web of netting, while a boat and loosely articulated figures populate the surrounding landscape.
The subject has particular resonance within Dalí’s visual world. Born in Figueres and deeply connected throughout his life to the Catalan coast, Dalí drew continual inspiration from the fishermen, boats, rocky shoreline and distinctive Mediterranean atmosphere surrounding Cadaqués and Portlligat, where he lived and worked for decades. Here, an ostensibly everyday activity is transformed through Dalí’s distinctive draftsmanship into something simultaneously observational and surreal.
The composition is especially compelling for its scale. Measuring 57 × 76 cm (22½ × 29⅞ inches), the sheet allows the intricate network of fishing nets to spread dramatically across the image. Dalí alternates between precise, energetic passages and deliberately open areas of paper, creating a work that rewards close inspection while retaining considerable presence from across a room.
The work is prominently signed and dated 1969 at lower right.
Of particular importance is its documentation. The drawing is accompanied by a certificate issued in 1997 by the Comissió d’Acreditació i Catalogació of the Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí. The certificate identifies the work by photograph, records its dimensions and technique, signature and date, and concludes that it is an original work by Salvador Dalí i Domènech.
The work was subsequently acquired from Galería David Cervelló in Barcelona and has remained in a private Spanish collection.
With its substantial dimensions, highly characteristic draftsmanship, Mediterranean subject matter, prominent signature and date, and significant Foundation documentation, this is an engaging original work from Dalí’s mature period.
