Salvador Dalí et le mécénat du Zodiaque

Abstract

When Salvador Dalí settled in Paris with the avowed aim to conquer the art world, he was unknown and virtually penniless. The great Economic Crisis which had hit Europe at that time, did nothing to improve his prospects. Yet, during his early years in the French capital, 1929-1935, he was able to produce his most original and personal canvasses. Although writers and art historians have fully scrutinized the artist's work of those years, no serious study has been devoted to a few intriguing questions relating to this period. The most basic ones relate, prosaically, to his money problems and his lack of contacts. More intriguing, however, is the fact that Dalí did not have to 'commerialize' his art in order to survive. It begs the question: How did Dalí manage this? The answers to the above-mentioned questions are the subject of this dissertation. Archival research in France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America has revealed that Dalí could count on the help of a group of benefactors, known as the 'Zodiaque'. This group counted twelve participants: high-ranking French aristocrats, members of the intelligentsia and well-to-do foreign art lovers. They were influential, had connections and networks and were financially independent. Their financial, practical and moral support allowed Dalí to remain a 'free artist' and thus prepare the way for his great international career. This mainly chronological account of the 'Zodiaque' patronage begins with an investigation into the carefully prepared preliminary phase followed by a detailed analysis of the conditions of the 'contract' between the parties. The following chapters, dedicated to the 'Zodiaque' members, give specific details of their activities relating to their patronage committments, their relationship to the artist, the 'ambiance' within the group and, last but not least, the functioning of the patronage. The first chapter of this dissertation investigates three patronages of the beginning of the 20th century. Together with findings relating to the 'Zodiaque', it has been possible to determine the place of the latter in the history of 'modern patronage'.