Michèle Gerber Klein will discuss her latest book, Surreal: The Extraordinary Life of Gala Dalí, a definitive biography of the enigmatic muse, collaborator, and driving force behind Salvador Dalí. Drawing from previously undiscovered material, Klein reveals how Gala rose from her modest beginnings in pre-Revolutionary Russia to become a central figure in the Surrealist movement—living with poet Paul Éluard and artist Max Ernst before becoming Salvador Dalí’s wife and creative partner. Gala shaped Dalí’s career, orchestrated their fortune, and left an indelible mark on twentieth-century art and culture.

Klein, also the author of Charles James: Portrait of an Unreasonable Man, brings the same vivid, richly detailed storytelling to Gala’s extraordinary life—one filled with war, love, ambition, and social upheaval. A longtime figure in the arts and philanthropy worlds, Klein serves on acquisition committees at the Whitney Museum and MoMA, and sits on the board of l’Alliance NYC. Her portrait of Gala reclaims the legacy of a bold, charismatic woman who played a pivotal yet underrecognized role in modern art history.