Salvador Dalì by O. Abolafia 1969

📜 Description
Vintage photograph depicting Salvador Dalí together with an unidentified young woman, taken in 1969 by Oscar Abolafia and printed on gelatin silver photographic paper. The scene shows two subjects indoors: Dalí, positioned on the left, faces the camera while holding a cross-shaped or jewel-like object, presenting it toward the woman; the female figure, smiling and turned toward the lens, participates in the pose within a context that is plausibly social or private. The composition is close and structured around the interaction between the two figures, with Dalí immediately recognizable by his distinctive facial features, glasses, and mustache, while the gesture of displaying the object introduces a performative element consistent with his constructed public persona. The photographic stamp “O. Abolafia” on the verso confirms the attribution to Oscar Abolafia and defines the documentary nature of the print, situating it within the context of mid-20th-century portrait photography of cultural and artistic figures.

📚 Historical note
Oscar Abolafia is known for his photographic work portraying figures from the worlds of culture, entertainment, and international society. This image documents Salvador Dalí in a later phase of his career, when he continued to cultivate a strong public presence through staged appearances and highly recognizable gestures. The photograph’s significance lies in the relationship between portrait, gesture, and the artist’s public identity, here conveyed through a direct and informal encounter.

🧾 Technical sheet
Type: vintage original photograph
Author / Maker: Oscar Abolafia
Designer / Engraver: n.d.
Publisher / Printer: n.d.
Place: n.d.
Period: 1969
Material: photographic paper
Technique: gelatin silver print
Subject / Title: Salvador Dalí with unidentified young woman
Edition / Print run: n.d.
Dimensions: 20.5 × 25 cm
Marks / Signatures / Inscriptions: photographic stamp “O. Abolafia” on verso

🔍 Condition Report
Print in good overall condition, with minor handling marks and light signs of age consistent with the period; image remains clear with preserved contrast, verso showing visible photographer’s stamp.