Surreal: The Extraordinary Life Of Gala Dalí

 “An overdue, comprehensive biography of a Surrealist instigator. Klein’s account of one of the driving forces of the Surrealist movement is wonderfully thorough and rescues Gala Dalí from being cast in the role of 'mere' muse, reclaiming her as the definitive artist and collaborator she was...convincingly demonstrates how Gala was a singular player in the development of a major 20th-century art movement…”  — Kirkus Reviews

 "Original, engaging, and fiercely intelligent, Gala Dalí has at last inspired a biography that shares her own best qualities. In this brilliant book, Klein illuminates the crucial importance that Gala held not only for her famous husbands and lovers, but for avant-garde art as a whole." — Caroline Weber, author of Proust’s Duchess and Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution 

 "Michele Gerber Klein—at long last—gives Gala Dalí the close-up she deserves. When Gala met Salvador, they met their destinies. The more she erased herself in marrying the soon-to-be world-famous Surrealist, the more she recreated herself as muse, fan wife, money manager, life coach, artistic collaborator, and model for some of the most sensuous portraits of a mature woman ever painted. Surreal takes us backstage at the endless performance piece that was the couple’s life’s work and life’s play—a salient ingredient—and reshuffles art history along the way. Pour a stiff Pernod or Absinthe, kick back, and enjoy this delightfully sparking read." — Brad Gooch, author of Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring 

 "Gerber Klein’s exquisitely portrayed and wickedly amusing account is a romp through the annals and escapades of an avant-garde movement that profoundly informs artistic discourse today. The life of Gala Dalí offers a through line of the Surrealist movement linking many of its key artists and writers. Intimate tales of Salvador and Gala Dalí, André Breton, Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, Tristan Tzara, and Federico García Lorca abound. As wife, lover, muse, model, artist, collaborator, performer, chronicler, editor, designer, publicist, and entrepreneur, Gala’s unique hybrid role initially repelled but ultimately deeply influenced her period’s male-dominated cultural clique." — Adam D. Weinberg, Director Emeritus, Whitney Museum of American Art 

 "Echoing her subject’s vim, at a fast clip that never lags and often surprises, Michèle Gerber Klein shows how Gala Dalí put the 'extra' in her extraordinary, century-defining life. Designer, author, model, fashion icon, mother, publicist, business partner, architect of her husband’s career—Gala’s ambitions took over whatever room and role she found herself in. Surreal is a spirited journey around the world and through a life that was an enigmatic work of art." — Prudence Peiffer, author of The Slip and director of content at MoMA, New York 

 "This compelling biography explores the making of Gala Dalí, a force of life who was not only ahead of her time and but a pivotal figure within Surrealism's creative maelstrom. More than fascinating expose of Gala's life and times, Surreal sheds new light on the artistic themes that resonate so powerfully with generations of artists that have followed, including those with whom I have a heartfelt connection." — Manuela Wirth, Chairwoman and President of Hauser & Wirth