Salvador Dalí – Désert Fabuleux from Dahlia

Title: Désert Fabuleux from Dahlia

Portfolio: Neuf Paysages

Medium: Etching

Year: 1980

Sheet Size: 14 7/8" x 14 7/8"

Signature: Signed in pencil

Edition Number: 46/49

Désert Fabuleux is a visionary and theatrical etching from 1980, presented in a limited edition of just 49 impressions. Measuring 14 7/8" × 14 7/8" and signed by Dalí in pencil, the work conjures a desert that is anything but barren — a fabled terrain teeming with hallucinatory possibility, where the void becomes a canvas for the imagination. It is one of the most cinematically charged works in the suite, evoking the vast, dreamlike landscapes that recur throughout Dalí's most celebrated imagery.

This piece is part of Neuf Paysages ("Nine Landscapes"), a cohesive portfolio in which Dalí reimagines the landscape as a stage for surrealist reverie. Each of the nine etchings in the suite operates as both a standalone vision and a chapter in a larger poetic narrative, making the complete series one of the most compelling graphic achievements of his later career.

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989) stands as one of the most iconic and provocative figures of the twentieth century. Born in Figueres, Catalonia, Dalí became the defining voice of Surrealism, channeling the imagery of dreams, desire, and the subconscious into paintings, sculptures, and prints of extraordinary technical mastery. His printmaking practice — spanning etchings, lithographs, and woodcuts — allowed him to reach collectors worldwide, translating his hallucinatory vision into intimate, hand-signed editions. Works such as The Persistence of Memory cemented his place in art history, while his graphic suites demonstrated a virtuosity and wit that remain unmatched. Dalí's prints are held in major museum collections globally and continue to command significant attention at auction and in the finest private collections.