Salvador Dalí – Piano Chevelure Dans un Désert from Lys

Title: Piano Chevelure Dans un Désert from Lys

Portfolio: Neuf Paysages

Medium: Etching

Year: 1980

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

Signature: Signed in pencil

Edition Number: 46/49

Piano Chevelure Dans un Désert is a haunting and lyrical etching from 1980, issued in a strictly limited edition of 49 impressions. Measuring 14 7/8" × 14 7/8" and signed by Dalí in pencil, this work conjures one of his most evocative conceits — the piano as a vessel of memory and desire, adrift in the boundless expanse of a desert landscape. It is a piece that rewards prolonged contemplation, its imagery oscillating between the intimate and the infinite.

This work is drawn from 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.