What is the title of Salvador Dalí’s 1952 painting made from spheres representing atomic particles?

Salvador Dalí’s 1952 painting made from spheres representing atomic particles is Galatea of the Spheres.

The work shows the head and upper body of Gala, Dalí’s wife and muse, constructed from a field of separated spheres. The gaps between the spheres are intentional: they suggest matter broken into atomic units rather than a solid, continuous surface.

Dalí became increasingly interested in nuclear physics after the atomic bombings of 1945. He called this period “nuclear mysticism,” combining scientific ideas about matter with religious and mystical imagery. Galatea of the Spheres is one of the clearest visual expressions of that interest.

The painting is displayed at the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, the institution Dalí helped create as a major public monument to his art. Its title refers to Galatea, a figure from Greek mythology, while also alluding to Gala’s name.