The Great Masturbator (1929)

At the same time as he was working on Un Chien Andalou, Dali embarked upon a golden period of creativity that cemented his reputation as a leading avant-garde painter.

The Great Masturbator is perhaps his first great masterpiece, encapsulating many of his obsessions such as masturbation, castration and Freudian dream logic. The enormous central face is a self-portrait. Clamped to his mouth is a huge locust, an insect which had terrified Dali since he was a young boy.