Dali Atomicus
Photographer: Philippe Halsman
Date: 1948
Location: New York City, USA
Philippe Halsman created this surrealist photograph of Salvador Dalí in 1948 as a companion piece to Dalí's painting 'Leda Atomica.' The image shows Dalí suspended mid-air alongside three leaping cats and a stream of water being thrown across the frame. Halsman and his assistants spent six hours creating the photograph across 26 takes — each requiring Halsman's wife to throw the cats, an assistant to throw the water, and Dalí to jump on cue, after which everything had to be reset. No digital manipulation was used; the image is a single frame. The photograph was published in Life magazine and is considered a masterpiece of surrealist photography. Halsman and Dalí collaborated on numerous projects over a 37-year friendship, including the 'Dalí's Mustache' book published in 1954.
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