Talk:Gala Dalí

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[edit] Garbage

Dr. Gokhan Sayram; 23 October 2003; gokhansayram@yahoo.com

I removed this from the original version. Andres 23:42, 19 Nov 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Eluard or Dali

As I write this, the article is at "Gala Eluard". I note the book "The Shameful lif of Salvador Dalí" refers to her as "Gala Dalí". She was married to Dalí longer than she was to Eluard. A google search shows 692 hits for "Gala Eluard", 776 hits for "Gala Dali", and 2,120 hits for "Gala Dalí". I'm going to move the article to "Gala Dalí". -- Infrogmation 19:44, 11 May 2004 (UTC)

  1. Are we certain she changed her name into Dali? Spaniards don't change her surnames when they get married and I'm surprised she did.Oconel 18:16, 15 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Helena or Galina?

There is quite a bit of confusion (especially among Russian-language sources) as to what her first name actually was. Can someone provide a link to an authoritative source on this matter? ---Vladimir V. Korablin (talk) 16:32, 22 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Correct birth name?

Ian Gibson. in his Dali biog "Shameful Life of Salvador Dali" (page 220) calls her Helena Diakanoff Devulina - not Elena Ivanovna Diakonova --Rrose Selavy 23:06, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

We now have yet another version of her original name - the third at least! Since no one else can actually provide a version of her original name with a citation from a reliable source , and not just a google link count, I've now changed it to the version I mentioned previously from the Gibson Dali biography - Unfortunately I'm not sure at the moment how to actually add a citation reference in the article itself. Rrose Selavy 15:49, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

The correct name is ELENA IVANOVNA DIAKONOVA, the one that is listed in Gala's Russian diploma of elementary school teacher gradutation issued by the M.G. Brukhonenko Female Institute of Moscow in 1915. It adds also that she was born in Kazan on August 26, 1894 - Julian calendar which corresponds to September 7, 1894 of the Gregorian calendar. Her religion was pravoslavian and she was the daughter of a high-ranking officer of the Russian administration. (Source: Article 'Gala Dalí: los secretos de una musa' by J.J. Navarro Arisa, "El País Semanal", Madrid, Spain, August 14, 1994.)--Orlando F 16:40, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Category: Russian models

I've reverted the edit that added this article to the category Russian models. All the members of that category are fashion/glamour/porno models. In my opinion, it's not helpful to readers of Wikipedia to group artists' models with the other types of models because the work they do is so different. I've said my piece; if anyone feels strongly that "Russian models" is appropriate then they can add it again and I shan't revert it. Charivari 00:53, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

Hi Charivary, I wonder why you think category "Russian models" is inappropriate ? Gala was born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova in Russia and posed as a model for Dali. Sure she was more then a model for Dali but she was both Russian and a model. Am I wrong ? Thanks Abune
Hi, thanks for your reply. My problem is with the definition of the word "model". The term is generally understood nowadays to mean a fashion model, glamour model or "porno" model. When referring to an artist's model it is necessary to use the full expression "artist's model" in order to avoid a misunderstanding. In effect, the meaning of the word "model" has changed over the past several decades.
The category Russian models, as I said in my comment, contains only fashion/glamour/porno models. All the subcategories of category Models appear to be the same. I consider the work and lives of, and the nature of readers' interest in, artist's models to be sufficiently different that including artists' models within the Models hierarchy is unhelpful to users of the encyclopaedia. It would be better if there were another term to describe what artists' models do, but I can't think of one. At the very least, artists' models are always going to be a small subset of "models", so including them in that category would not be helpful to users seeking other examples of models of either type.
The Gala Dalí article is a member of another category, Artists' models, which is not currently subdivided because there are so few members of the category. This category is not within the Models hierarchy but instead within Visual arts occupations.
If you really want to add Gala Dalí to Russian models I won't revert the edit again, but I do think it's inappropriate.
I'll copy this discussion to the talk page of Gala Dalí in case others want to add their thoughts. Charivari 00:24, 28 July 2006 (UTC)
I agree that it's inappropriate - we shouldn't list everyone who sits for a famous artist. That's different from "modelling" as a profession or for paid work.
--Rrose Selavy 17:29, 28 July 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Cite urgently needed for harsh allegation

"Gala was dosing Dalí with a dangerous cocktail of tranquilizers and amphetamines that ultimately caused the artist's neurological downfall." - If somebody can't very rapidly provide an excellent cite for this allegation, we should delete it. -- 201.51.252.63 17:35, 10 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree. I've removed a section. Rrose Selavy

[edit] Was Gala deaf?

A recent documentary on British TV: 'Dirty Dali: A Private View', Channel 4, Sunday (I think 4 June 2007) suggested that Gala was deaf and had difficulty conversing:

"... Sewell first struggled to converse with the Spanish surrealist and his deaf nymphomaniac wife while each sat in their own eggshell. "

http://living.scotsman.com/tv.cfm?id=869862007

It is of intense interest to me - was Gala actually deaf or just a bit hard of hearing? Did she know any sign language? I work with several deaf artists, and we are interested in this topic.

If anyone can confirm details, I will add a short sentence to the article on Gala. RedTomato 13:56, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

From Dali's aubiog, she doesn't seem to have been deaf when she was younger at any rate; I don't know if she was completely deaf by the point refered to in the film or if its an overstatement. Good question. -- Infrogmation 16:55, 22 June 2007 (UTC)