Which 1929 Salvador Dalí painting contains the phrase “The Great Masturbator” in its title?

Salvador Dalí’s 1929 painting containing the phrase “The Great Masturbator” in its title is The Great Masturbator.

The painting is a major early example of Dalí’s personal Surrealist imagery. Its central distorted head-like form is surrounded by symbolic elements, including insects, a grasshopper, and references associated with desire, anxiety, and sexual fear. Dalí drew heavily on private obsessions and dream-like associations rather than conventional narrative storytelling.

The work was created during the same period that Dalí became closely involved with the Surrealist group and met Gala, who became his lifelong partner and artistic muse. Its imagery is often interpreted in relation to Dalí’s anxieties and developing relationship with her.

The title is sometimes shortened in casual discussion, but the canonical English title is The Great Masturbator. It should not be confused with Dalí’s later works featuring soft forms, ants, or explicit portraits of Gala.