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Before becoming Madame Dali, she married the French Surrealist poet Paul Eluard and was entangled with Max Ernst.
Salvador Dalí,Portrait of Gala with Lobster, circa 1933.
Her image, like Dalis mustache, became part of the performance.
But who was Gala, really?
Gala Dali was neither a miser nor just a vixen, Klein says.
Gala Dali in a full length skirt, posed standing holding a staff.
I tried to portray her as a real human being instead of just a sound bite.
Surrealopens not with Galas death but with one of the most dazzlingand strangeepisodes of her life.
Though technically refugees, the Dalis command the spotlight with a kind of theatrical defiance.Lifemagazine sends a reporter.
Gala Dali c.1948
Bob Hope is served live frogs under a cloche.
And Galagraceful, elusive, otherworldlyreigns as what one local outlet dubs the princess of her enchanted forest.
Its a scene worthy of Dalis brush, but it is Gala who choreographs it all.
Portrait of Gala Dali c.1948
And yet she remained elusive.
Gala said the secret of my secrets is that I dont tell them, Klein notes.
Vogue:What first drew you to Gala Dali as a subject?
Gala Dali wearing Shoe Hat and Lips Jacket, which she inspired, designed by Elsa Schiaparelli in collaboration with Salvador Dalí, 1938.
Was there a particular moment when you knew her story would be your next book?
She was a fascinating woman.
Youve described this book as the first serious biography of Gala Dali.
Gala in Chanel bow posing for Dalí’s Battle in the Clouds, 1979.
How doesSurrealadd to our understanding of Gala?
Gala Dali was neither a miser nor just a vixen.
I tried to portray her as a real human being instead of just a sound bite.
Spanish artist Salvador Dali and his wife and muse Gala Dali sitting outdoor on a hill, c.1948
How did you go about researching someone so enigmaticand so mythologized?
Were there any archival surprises or discoveries that reshaped your narrative?
I went to primary sources.
Gala Dali wearing Shoe Hat and Lips Jacket, which she inspired, designed byElsa Schiaparelli in collaboration with Salvador Dalí, 1938.
I sought out what she wrote in her memoirs.
I sent images to the Costume Institute for identification.
How have her descendants reacted to the book?
Claire Sarti, Galas granddaughter, baked me a cake.
Gala lived many lives, as a muse, a wife, a collector, and an intellectual.
Which of these roles did you find most compelling to write about?
Hers is a love story as well as the story of a great marketer.
And she was a woman of enormous style whose favorite designers were Schiaparelli, Chanel, and Dior.
What was the most difficult part of writing about Gala?
Was there a part of her life that resisted interpretation?
Gala is often remembered as Dalis muse, but you frame her as much more.
In your view, what was her greatest contribution to the Surrealist movement?
When Gala met Salvador in 1929, she took notes on everything they talked about.
Some have called her manipulative, some have called her visionary.
How do you reconcile these competing portraits of Gala?
She was never manipulative in the common definition of the word.
The Dalis were performance artists, so they did things for effect as a way of expressing their vision.
What do you hope readersespecially womentake away from Galas life and legacy?
The key lesson one can learn from Gala is to have the courage to be oneself.
Whats next for you?
Are there other overlooked women of art history youre hoping to uncover?
As Gala said, the secret of my secrets is that I dont tell them.
Surreal: The Extraordinary Life of Gala Dali
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