The Elephants Auction History

Galerie Isy Brachot, Brussels; thereafter in a private collection (current). Documented by the Fundació Gala–Salvador Dalí paintings catalogue entry P 640 for this work [1].

The Dalí Foundation’s catalogue confirms that the 1948 oil commonly titled The Elephants—catalogued as Project for ‘As you like it’ (P 640)—is in a private collection and carries a provenance line for Galerie Isy Brachot, Brussels [1]. The same entry records multiple museum exhibitions (Humlebæk 1973; Frankfurt 1974; Montreal 1990) and early literature references, but it does not list any public auction for this painting, which the Foundation tends to document when known [1]. As a result, no public price has been established for this specific canvas.

In the broader Dalí market, public benchmarks remain strong for significant oils. The standing auction record is Portrait de Paul Éluard (1929), sold at Sotheby’s London in 2011 for £13,481,250 [2]. Major pre-war surrealist oils have achieved high seven- to eight-figure prices—e.g., the 2020 Bonhams sale of the diptych Couple with Their Heads Full of Clouds [3]—while important but less iconic works continue to transact in the low- to mid-seven figures, as seen in Christie’s London results in March 2024 (The Birth of Liquid Anguish, £1,976,000) [4].

Because the 1948 Elephants has not appeared at auction, it has not directly influenced these public benchmarks. Nonetheless, its clear cataloguing, recognized exhibition history, and the enduring appeal of Dalí’s elephant motif position it as a work that would likely draw significant attention if it emerged for sale. Collectors and advisors should take care not to conflate this unique 1948 oil with the many prints and reproductions of related imagery; the Foundation’s entry is the authoritative reference for identity and provenance [1].