Romeo and Juliet Illustrations, 1975 by Salvador Dali

Although Salvador Dali is most closely associated with his contributions to the surrealist movement and psychoanalytic innovation, paintings of melting clocks,elephants with spindly legs, and volcanoes of juxtaposed subject matter (combining hundreds of years of art history into a chaotic episode of Tuna Fishing, Dali was very cognizant to art history and artistic tradition while at the same time considerate of his own creative freedoms; this is evident in many of his lesser known (and understudied) illustrations. Shakespeare, in particular, was a topic that Dali came back to throughout his career.

In 1975, Salvador Dali created a rare set of illustrations for Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet. Presented here is one of the series consisted of 10 off-set lithographs on heavy paper.