The Enigma of Hitler is an oil on canvas painting by Salvador Dalí, created in 1939. It was made around the time of his expulsion from the Surrealist movement.[1]
Dalí related that the painting was an interpretation of several dreams he had about Adolf Hitler – one had shown Neville Chamberlain's umbrella turning into a bat – a symbol from his childhood that filled him with fear.[2] The cut telephone cord depicted in the painting has been interpreted as the communication disconnect between Chamberlain and Hitler.[3]
The painting was first exhibited in 1939 at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City, where, priced at $1750 US dollars, it did not sell.[4][5] It was then reproduced in Life magazine's April 17, 1939 issue.[4] The painting is held in the permanent collection of the Museo Reina Sofia.[6]