A monumental work by Salvador Dalí, considered the largest painting the artist ever created, will lead Bonhams’ annual Surrealism sale in Paris on 26th March — and its origins have an unexpected connection to Monaco.
Bacchanale, a stage set comprising 13 panels with a total size of more than 20 by 30 metres, was created by Dalí in 1939 for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The set was produced in the Ballet Russe workshop in Monte Carlo, under the direction of Alexandre Schervachidze, with Dalí personally overseeing key details of the final curtain and backdrop. The choreographer was Léonide Massine, director of the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo, and Coco Chanel was brought in to design part of the costumes — though she ultimately refused to send her pieces when complications arose from the outbreak of war in Europe.
The work is estimated at €200,000 to €300,000 and comes from an important private collection.
Dalí described Bacchanale as his first paranoiac-critical ballet — a total work of art in which he wrote the libretto and designed the sets and costumes. The central motif is the Mount of Venus, overlaid with a large swan as a symbol of sin and desire. The score was an adaptation of Wagner’s Tannhäuser overture, and the premiere on 9th November 1939 at the Metropolitan Opera was a success despite the turbulence surrounding it. Dalí himself was unable to attend.
The work has had a notable recent exhibition history, shown in Madrid in both 2023 and 2024, and displayed at the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan in 2025.
Emilie Millon, Head of Bonhams’ Impressionist and Modern Art department in Paris, described it as “the largest painting created by Salvador Dalí for the New York Opera House — a priceless fantasy that can become a reality for any collector.”
Other highlights
The sale, now in its fourth consecutive year as a dedicated Surrealism auction, also features works by Francis Picabia, Jane Graverol, Man Ray, André Masson, Leonor Fini and others. A collection of 11 Picabia paintings and works on paper will be offered, headlined by La Polonaise, an oil on panel from 1940 estimated at €200,000 to €300,000, from the former collection of Olga Picabia. Belgian Surrealist Jane Graverol is represented by Tête en l’air, a circa 1945 oil on panel estimated at €25,000 to €35,000, depicting the body in a state of dreamlike transformation that blurs reality and imagination.
The Bonhams Surrealism sale takes place in Paris on 26th March 2026.
See also:
Salvador Dalí comes to Mareterra: Inside Monaco’s newest art destination
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Photo of Salvador Dali’s 1904-1989 Decor de theatre for Bacchanale