FIRST EDITION OF DALI ON MODERN ART, FLAMBOYANTLY SIGNED WITH A SPECTACULAR FULL-PAGE PEN-AND-INK DRAWING BY SALVADOR DALI, TWICE SIGNED

DALI, Salvador. Dalí on Modern Art. New York: Dial Press, 1957. Octavo, original half black cloth, original dust jacket. Housed in a custom clamshell box. $8500.

First edition of this illustrated treatise on "the cuckolds of antiquated modern art" by Salvador Dalí, boldly inscribed across the entire front flyleaf, "Pour Paul Segnit, hommage tres amicable de Dalí, 1958," with a splendid drawing of a haloed knight on a horse—reminiscent of his famous depiction of Don Quixote—a drawing that he has signed in the lower corner with his full name.

"Nothing has ever aged more rapidly and more poorly than modern art." Translated from the French by Haakon Chevalier, Dalí's sharp look at modern art is "brilliant, impudent, sarcastic and provoking… No one escapes… Dalí at his pungent best." Illustrated with 57 calligraphic vignettes by Dalí and 15 black-and-white reproductions of paintings he discusses in his discourse. Jacket design also by Dalí. Text in English and French.

Offsetting from tape on front and rear free endpapers; interior and binding fine. Dust jacket with shallow wear to spine ends only, near-fine. An excellent copy, scarce and desirable with a full-page pen-and-ink sketch signed twice by Dalí.