Salvador Dalí's Surreal Tarot Card Deck To Be Released Again 30 Years After It Was First Designed

Salvador Dalí, one of the most famous surrealists is probably best remembered for his flamboyant personality, “Lobster Telephone”, melting clocks and his 'always pointing towards the sky' mustache. But only a handful of the artist's biggest fans are familiar with the virtuoso's fascination with the occult. One of the most prominent examples of his knack for the supernatural is the deck of Tarot cards he was commissioned to create for the James Bond film, Live and Let Die. However, the cards never appeared in the picture.

More info: taschen.com

In the 1970s, when preparing for props, the producer of Live and Let Die, Albert Broccoli, decided to ask Salvador Dalí to work on the creation of a custom deck of Tarot cards.

Dalí eagerly accepted the offer, possibly incited by his wife Gala who got him interested in mysticism.

However, the deal fell through when Dalí requested a fee so big that it was too high even for the film's $7million budget.

Despite that, the maestro continued working on the Tarot deck and nearly a decade later, in 1984, it was finished.

The limited-edition of the deck was put up for sale and quickly sold. The cards were not on the market up until now, when nearly 30 years later, Taschen Books decided to resurrect Dalí's Tarot cards.

The deck perfectly combines Dalí's knowledge of the arcane and his signature motifs: dissected faces, ants, roses, and butterflies. It features Dalí himself as the Magician, while his wife poses as the Empress.

The new edition features an explanatory booklet authored by tarot expert Johannes Fiebig. It includes an introduction about Dalí and a guide explaining the meaning of each card and how to perform a reading.

The deck will be available for sale on November 15th and will cost $60.