Interiors & Decorations

Jewellery & Precious Stones

Watches, Pens & Lighters

Fashion

Coins & Stamps

Comics & Animation

Classic Cars, Motorcycles & Automobilia

Wine, Whisky & Spirits

Asian & Tribal Art

Trading Cards

Toys & Models

Archaeology & Natural History

Sports

Music, Movies & Cameras

Books & Historical Memorabilia

The evolution of Modern Art, brought to you by {name}

Kai Brückner

Philippe Halsman, Dali Atomicus, 1948.

TIME Magazine recently listed Dali Atomicus as one of "The Top 100 Photographs of All Time". In a world before Photoshop, it took the ingenuity of Salvador Dali and photographer Philippe Halsman—plus some deft cat-throwing—to produce this gravity-defying scene.

Digital print on 10" x 7.5" glossy photo paper from the Magnum Photos archive.

'Philippe Halsman copyright Magnum Photos' in lower right corner.

Good condition (with small imperfections, some slightly yellowed edges due to the passage of time).

So when Halsman set out to shoot his friend and longtime collaborator the Surrealist painter Salvador Dalí, he knew a simple seated portrait would not suffice. Inspired by Dalí’s painting Leda Atomica, Halsman created an elaborate scene to surround the artist that included the original work, a floating chair and an in-progress easel suspended by thin wires. Assistants, including Halsman’s wife and young daughter Irene, stood out of the frame and, on the photographer’s count, threw three cats and a bucket of water into the air while Dalí leaped up. It took the assembled cast 26 takes to capture a composition that satisfied Halsman. And no wonder. The final result, published in LIFE, evokes Dalí’s own work. The artist even painted an image directly onto the print ahead of publication.

One of the most influential photographers of the 20th century along with other photographers of his time such as: Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Edward Steichen, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Elliott Erwitt, Walter Evans, Eugene Smith, Diane Arbus, Eve Arnold, Robert Doisneau, Helmut Newton, Josef Sudek, Andreas Gursky, among many others.



Digital print - Press Agency/Newspaper Stamp - Philippe Halsman © Magnum Photos

Philippe Halsman - Dali Atomicus, 1948

Photography

Reserve price

No reserve price

Closing date

Tuesday

Sunday

Monday

23 January

26 January

tomorrow

Saturday

Wednesday

2 February

22 January

25 January

Budget

From

Location

France

Italy

Spain

Germany

The Netherlands

United States

United Kingdom

Sweden

Finland

Poland

Estonia

Belgium

Slovak Republic

Israel

Türkiye

Cyprus

Portugal

Austria

Lithuania

Hungary

Czech Republic

Canada

Switzerland

Ireland

Dimensions

Height

Width

Depth

Object

Photograph

Artwork

Print

Country of origin

Netherlands

Condition

Extremely fine

Fine

Original State

Very fine

Good condition

Excellent condition

Period

2020+

1970-1980

Subject

Fine art photography

Nude

Portrait

Photojournalism

Pop Culture

Documentary photography

Architecture

Cityscape

Nature

Landscape

Still life

Seascape

Military and war

Style

Expressionism

Contemporary

Photorealism

Abstract

Modern

Technique

Digital print

Gelatin-silver print

C-Print

Fine art print

Photolithography

Giclée

Inkjet print

Polaroid

Mixed technique

Mixed media

Photogravure

Other

Collage

Carbon print

Ferrotype

Photogenic drawing

Platinotype

Signature

Hand signed

Signed

Not signed

Stamped

Plate signed

Edition

Limited edition

Original

Colour

Black

Grey

White

Cream

Multicolour

Artist

Téber

Marcus Cederberg

Alberto Korda (1928–2001)

Lida Khaykara

Erminando Aliaj

Dominik Valvo

Maurizio Galimberti (1956–)

Robert Doisneau (1912–1994)

Ben Dauchez

Bert Stern (1929–2013)

Karl Alinghi

Alina Lebedeva

Jean-Guy Caumeil (1945–2018)

Franco Turcati

Man Ray (1890–1976)

Roberto Cavalli

Alessandro Carleschi

Arnold Mariashin

fbArt

Helmut Newton (1920–2004)

Majo Jurcik

Patrick Siccoli

Frank Machalowski

Elena Paraskeva

Fabian Kimmel

Sold by

Direct from the artist

Owner or reseller

Gallery

Agent

Digital print - Signed - 6/30 - 2025

Lida Khaykara - Chris

Giclée - Signed - 8/125 - 2026

Alina Lebedeva - Untitled

Digital print - Signed - 25 - 2023

Lou Atmån - Nymphéales - sans titre 02

Digital print - Hand signed - April 15

Mathilde Oscar - Liberty

Digital print - Signed - April 25 - 2023

Lou Atmån - La Belle endormie

Digital print - Signed - 2025

Tatiana Cardellicchio - Among Branches and Darkness pt.1

Digital print - Signed - 5/50 - 2024

Erminando Aliaj - Body on pedestal

Digital print - Signed - 1/50 - 2025

Nata Chebotareva - Nothing more

C-Print, Polaroid - Hand signed - 1999

Stefanie Schneider - Stefanie Schneider's Minis 'Radha Mind Screen II' (29 Palms, CA)

Digital print - Hand signed - Limited print 6 of 10 - 2025

Pavel Golovkin - k/2

Digital print - Hand signed - Limited print 1 of 10 series - 2025

Pavel Golovkin - Soft Geometry 30-45

Digital print - Hand signed - 1 of 10 - 2025

Pavel Golovkin - Blue. 2025

Digital print - Hand signed - 1/6 - 2025

Alexander Ivashkevich - Whisper of the Sun

Digital print - Signed - 13/30 - 2025

Lida Khaykara - TV room

Digital print - Hand signed - 11/30 - 2025

Lida Khaykara - Blue door

Digital print - Signed - 7/30 - 2025

Lida Khaykara - Scarlet 

Digital print - Hand signed - 4/20

Dominique Robelin - Océane#2

Digital print - Hand signed - March 20

Dominique Robelin - Sous le soleil#2

Photography

This object is no longer available, but there’s still lots to explore

Philippe Halsman - Dali Atomicus, 1948

Popular in Photography

827 objects

Related collections