So begins the unconventional story of Dali’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross Lithographs…
In the 1980s there were authorized reproductions of Salvador Dalí’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross which were predominantly published and distributed by
Gala Publications, and Magui Publishers Inc. In the 1950’s Dali did the rare thing and sold the painting of Christ of Saint John to the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is their pride and joy. Gala was very against the sale. She always tried to get the rights back. Yet, Dali always honored the deal. Because the original 1951 masterpiece and its copyright are exclusively owned by Glasgow Museums (Kelvingrove Art Gallery). Dalí actually circumvented traditional print rights by reimagining the imagery into new mediums during his final active years breaking the ‘Honeyman Pact’ (a deal both Dali and the Dr. Tom Honeyman the Director of the Museum made together not to resell the rights). Thus, since the city of Glasgow held the exclusive right to reproduce the image, any contract Dalí signed with Magui Publishers to reproduce Christ of Saint John was legally void from the outset.
Along the line there were many consumer complaints that the market was flooded with too many different Dali’s sold at wrong prices and being sold as originals. Dali was partly responsible because he had the practice of signing blank sheets to be printed on later. The rumor is that Dalí could sign upwards of 1,800 blank sheets an hour, netting him roughly $72,000 per hour in 1970s money and it is estimated that Dalí arguably signed anywhere from 17,500 to over 350,000 blank sheets of paper in his lifetime. Is this true? Did it matter?
While Dalí made millions of dollars from this method, it completely compromised his own market. Some counterfeiters were acquiring these legitimately signed blank pages and were running lithographs, etchings and even photomechanical posters over them, creating “authentic authorized fakes”. Dali had authorized publisher but he lost control of the supervision when he and Gala became ill in the early 1980’s. Magui Publishers got caught in this mess, breaking the law. It did not matter that their work was of high quality.
Eventually, The FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service heavily investigated Magui Publishers as a critical component of a massive, multi-agency federal crackdown on Salvador Dalí art fraud during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The FBI and federal inspectors steered the criminal investigations that choked off Magui’s network of retail buyers, while the FTC simultaneously took apart Magui’s corporate headquarters in Beverly Hills. It became the main domino that collapsed the entire national supply chain in the Dali art crackdown called ‘Operation Bogart’.
From an artistic standpoint, neither Gala publications nor Magui Publishers produced original Salvador Dalí artworks. Both were downstream commercial printing operations
utilizing pre-signed paper blanks. Even though they were authorized by contract to produce Dali’s, Magui Publishers ran afoul of federal law because they actively forged signatures when they ran out of real paper blanks, fabricated fake documentation, and lied about Dalí actively supervising the 1980s press runs.
The irony is that publishers thought they had found a legal loophole by frequently purchasing stacks of blank, signed sheets via Dalí’s business managers to bypass his physical inability to paint or print late in life. Because Dalí signed a blank page rather than approving the finished Christ of Saint John image printed on top of it, the court ruled that utilizing
the signature to imply Dalí’s artistic approval of the final imagery was a deceptive trade practice.
But what about the art? Let’s get into some of the the details on Salvador Dali – Christ of St. John of the Cross distributed in the 1980s by Magui Publishers, Inc.
The “Magui version” refers to limited-edition prints (lithographs and etchings) of Christ of St. John of the Cross distributed in the 1980s by Magui Publishers, Inc., a company owned by French art dealer Pierre Marcand.
Rather than a unique variation painted by Dalí himself, these prints are highly controversial artifacts of the late-20th-century art market and a famous legal scandal.
The Federal Trade Commission Lawsuit
The Fraud Charges: In 1989, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a massive civil suit against Magui Publishers for selling at least 22,000 deceptive art prints attributed to Salvador Dalí and other master artists.
The Illusion of Involvement: The Magui prints were heavily marketed with Certificates of Authenticity implying Dalí directly authorized or supervised the print run. In reality, a federal court ruled that Dalí had absolutely no connection to the actual production of Magui’s prints.
The Restitution: In 1991, the court ordered Magui Publishers and Pierre Marcand to pay $1.96 million in restitution to defrauded buyers and permanently barred them from making further misrepresentations.
The “Pre-Signed Paper” Issue
The Background: The Magui edition of Christ of St. John of the Cross was printed on paper that Salvador Dalí had allegedly pre-signed while it was completely blank.
Late-Life Exploitation: Towards the end of his life, an ailing Dalí signed contracts and thousands of blank sheets of high-quality paper for financial gain. Shrewd publishers bought these sheets and later printed reproductions of his famous works onto them without his direct creative input.
The Printers: The actual Magui etchings were mechanically produced in France by engraver Pierre Spalaikovitch and printmaker Pascal Giraudon, who merely added a tiny attribution line stating the work was “by Dalí”.
Collector Value & Market Status
Authenticity Dilemma: Because the signature on the paper is often physically real, fine art appraisers classify Magui prints as “after Dalí” graphic reproductions rather than true original prints.
Blind Stamps: You can spot a Magui print by looking at the lower-left corner, which usually features an embossed copyright symbol or a blind stamp from galleries of that era (such as the Art Center Gallery Hawaii).
Current Price: Despite the fraudulent history, Magui editions are still bought and sold on the secondary market by collectors who appreciate them as vintage, decorative 1980s prints. They typically fetch between $1,500 and $3,500 depending on the frame condition and paper type
The Gala Edition International version of Christ of St. John of the Cross is completely different from the Magui version in terms of its origin, format, production method, and market classification.
While both belong to the problematic landscape of late-era Salvador Dalí graphic reproductions, they emerged from different publishing pipelines and distinct distribution networks.
Key Differences Between the Magui and Gala International Editions
| Feature | The Magui Version | Gala Edition International |
| Publisher | Magui Publishers, Inc. / Pierre Marcand (France/US) | Distributed via alternative networks associated with European distributors (often linked to Jean Schneider or international suites). |
| Production Technique | Heavily mixed-media/etchings manually engraved “after Dalí” by French craftsmen. | Primarily photomechanical lithographs or offset lithographs reproducing the original 1951 oil painting image. |
| Target Market | American galleries and cruise ship art markets in the 1980s. | European and international art collector networks, often sold with localized language certificates. |
| Legal Status | Explicitly ruled as consumer fraud by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). | Avoided direct naming in major US lawsuits but still classified as a commercial reproductive edition. |
The Production & Authenticity Disconnect
Photomechanical vs. Graphic: While the Magui prints involved master engravers creating new plates to mimic Dalí’s line work, many “Gala International” editions are high-quality photomechanical offsets. They transfer an exact photograph of the Glasgow oil painting onto paper, rather than an artist-interpreted etching plate.
The Signature Trap: Like the Magui editions, Gala International prints frequently use paper from the pre-signed blank sheets Dalí created before 1980. They are classified as interpretive reproductions or prints “after Dalí”, never as “original graphic works” where the artist carved the plate himself.
Gala International editions frequently utilized different paper mills than Magui. Instead of just Arches or Rives, you will often see watermarks from Guarro (a premium Spanish paper) or Cartiera Ventura (Italian paper).
Interestingly, in the vast majority of fine art markets, the Gala Edition International version is less valuable than the Magui Publishers version.
While both are classified as late-era, commercial reproductions “after Dalí,” the market favors the Magui version due to distinct differences in production quality, rarity, and collector demand.
Since the Magui suites were heavily documented due to the massive 1980s lawsuits, it has created a weird but solid historical footprint that collectors can trace. Many Gala International prints lack rigorous cataloging in major reference guides (like the Albert Field catalog), making them harder to sell through reputable auction houses. The Magui version is sometimes double or triple the value depending on the condition. The Gala International Version is treated more as a high-quality decorative museum poster.