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Description: SALVADOR DALê 1904-1989 nu de dos signed and dated 1945 sanguine on paper 63.4 by 48 cm., 25 by 18 7/8 in. Executed in 1945. Provenance Mr & Mrs John L. Loeb, New York (Sale: Christie's, New York, The John and Frances L. Loeb Collection, 13th May 1997, lot 127) Purchased at the above sale by the present owner Exhibited New York, Galerie of Modern Art, Salvador Dali, 1918-1965, 1965-66, no. 197 Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, Dali, 1970-71, no. 131, illustrated in the catalogue Literature Max Gerard, Dali de Draeger, New York, 1968, no. 37, illustrated in colour The Frances and John L. Loeb Collection, London, 1982, no. 69, illustrated Robert Descharnes, Dali: L'oeuvre et l'homme, Lausanne, 1984, p. 297, illustrated in colour The present work is a complete study for the painting Ma femme nue regardant son propre corps devenir marches, trois vertebres d'une colonne, ciel et architecture (fig. 1, sold at Sotheby's, London, 4th December 2000, lot 8), one of Dali's most celebrated portrayals of his wife. In the painting, Gala sits contemplating a fantastical architectural setting in the desert which mirrors her own pose. Dali once said of his wife: 'She is the rarest being to see, the superstar who cannot in any case be compared with La Callas or Greta Garbo, because one may see them often, whereas Gala is an invisible being, the anti-exhibitionist par excellence. At Salvador Dali's home, there are two prime ministers: one is my wife, Gala, and the other is Salvador Dali Salvador Dali and Gala are the two unique beings capable of mathematically moderating and exalting my divine madness' (quoted in Robert Descharnes, Salvador Dali, New York, 1976, p. 142).