Block Print from "The Divine Comedy" (1960).

Signed by the artist.

Dalí’s The Divine Comedy series began as a sweeping visual interpretation of Dante Alighieri’s 14th-century poem, moving through Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso with the artist’s unmistakable mix of fantasy, symbolism, and theatrical linework. Between 1951 and 1960, Dalí created a group of watercolours that were later translated into colour woodblock prints, a remarkably involved process that required thousands of carved blocks and multiple impressions to build each final image. These decomposition prints reveal that process step by step, showing how each layer of colour was separated, printed, and gradually brought together into the finished composition. As a series, they offer a rare look at both Dalí’s surreal reading of Dante and the technical craft behind one of his most ambitious printmaking projects.

Salvador Dalí (1904–1989)
Dali is best known for his surreal, highly symbolic imagery, shaped by dreams, psychoanalysis, and his own “paranoiac-critical” method of seeing multiple meanings within a single image. While his paintings remain among the most recognizable works of modern art, Dalí was also deeply engaged with printmaking, producing lithographs, etchings, and mixed-media prints throughout his career. His graphic works brought his unmistakable visual language to a more intimate scale, often combining fluid draftsmanship, theatrical figuration, and strange poetic detail. Today, Dalí’s work is held in major collections and museums worldwide, including the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres and The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.