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Shakespeare & Beyond

Salvador Dalí and Shakespeare

The Taming of the Shrew etching by Salvador Dali
The Taming of the Shrew etching by Salvador Dali

When you think of famous Shakespeare illustrators, Spanish surrealist Salvador Dalí may not be the first artist who comes to mind.

But the Folger collection contains a set of 16 etchings done by Dali, called Much Ado About Shakespeare, that brings his recognizable style to bear on these classic works. Each etching represents a different Shakespeare play: Love’s Labor’s Lost, Richard III, Henry VI (unclear which part), Richard II, Henry IV, Henry VIII, The Taming of the Shrew, Henry V (a & b), King John, All’s Well That Ends Well, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Cymbeline, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Timon of Athens, and Troilus and Cressida.

Comments

In addition to a copy of As You Like It with Dali illustrations, I have a copy of Macbeth with a set of brilliant Dali illustrations.

Nick Clary — May 8, 2018