Salvador Dali rhinoceros sculpture to see $250,000 at Bonhams

Bonhams' Impressionist and Modern Art auction will be spearheaded by an iconic rhinoceros sculpture on February 5 in London.

The piece, which was first conceived in 1956, holds a £150,000-250,000 ($240,000-400,000) valuation. The rhinoceros is a recurring theme in Dali's work, revealing his keen interest in science and natural history.

For Dali, the shape of the rhinoceros' horn was fascinating, due to it growing in a logarithmic spiral, which signifies the "divine geometry" often found in nature - an idea that has been extensively explored by many of history's greatest minds, such as Descartes and Gaudi.

The piece is entitled Chair de poule rhinocérontique, ou rhinocéros cosmique, which translates as Goosebumps Rhinocerotic, or Cosmic Rhinoceros. A typically surreal and twisted imagining, it was first conceived by Dali in 1956, a particularly strong era of his career and during the time that he was working on his film project, The Prodigious Adventure of the Lacemaker and the Rhinoceros - a critically acclaimed venture that features Robert Descharnes as director.

Although conceived in 1956, the sculpture was not cast by the Valsuani Foundry until 1991, two years after the artist's death. It was cast in an edition of eight, with a further four artist's proofs, two non-commercial proofs and one foundry proof.

Also appearing at Bonhams is fellow Spanish surrealist, Joan Miro, with an Asian inspired watercolour that is expected to sell with a high estimate of £150,000 ($240,000). Miro will also star with a $13m masterpiece in Christie's Art of the Surreal auction on February 6.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a great Salvador Dali original drawing for sale, which shows his understanding of anatomy and is thought to depict his wife and muse, Gala.

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