A Journey into a Surreal World: Salvador Dali's Christmas Cards That Were Never Printed

The history of the American company Hallmark Cards, Inc. associated with cooperation with prominent artists, the purpose of which was to create unique printed and collectible products. Among these talented artists was the great Spanish painter Salvador Dali.

In 1960, the company's employees decided to diversify the design of their Christmas cards and invited 50 artists of various fields to cooperate. Among them were those who depicted the life of American families, as well as authors inclined to more abstract or surrealistic subjects.

Among these great names was Salvador Dali, who set about creating festive scenes in his unique style. He agreed to prepare 10 illustrations for 15 thousand dollars.

An additional condition was that the artist was given complete creative freedom. Representatives of Hallmark Cards, Inc. agreed, and this became their main mistake: out of all the finished works, the company dared to take only two. Other illustrations turned out to be too "innovative" for Christmas.

Dalí's works were perceived as something very unusual for traditional holiday motifs. This caused a misunderstanding regarding the perception of the innovative vision of the great artist. Almost every postcard featured a recurring motif in the form of a butterfly, which the artist called a symbol of the soul.

So in the world of holiday cards, Hallmark Cards, Inc. a unique element of surrealism appeared. The works of the great master, as always, impressed with their sophistication and mystery. The butterfly that became his symbol, intertwining reality and fantasy, reminded of mysticism, which the author was interested in throughout his creative journey.

The oldest and largest producer of greeting cards in the United States opened for its customers the opportunity to plunge into the world of surrealism and experience the sophistication and mystery that were characteristic only of the work of Salvador Dali. However, unfortunately, they never dared to print these postcards.

Source: hallmark.com