A Review of Dali Tarot

Dali Tarot

Published by TASCHEN

2021 (originally 1984) Cost: $60.00 Sold Out on the Taschen site

Created entirely by Salvador Dalí, this deck presents his surrealist vision through Tarot, blending illustration and paint with the traditional Rider-Waite structure. The cards are housed in a luxurious purple velvet gift box, accompanied by a multilingual companion book.

Both decks honor the genius of legendary artists, but while Dali Tarot leans into tradition, Van Gogh Tarot is more of an immersive experience. Both are designed for intuitive exploration.

Shared Qualities:

• A deep dive into an artist’s world: Like Van Gogh Tarot, this deck offers a unique way to engage with an iconic artist’s work, featuring lesser-known pieces alongside more familiar ones.
  

• A luxurious, collectible feel: The gold detailing on the cards and the opulent packaging give it a museum-quality presence, much like our Van Gogh deck. The artwork on the cards are wild and expressive: a combination of photo collage and painting. Both decks feels very painterly and textured and are bursting with layers of meaning. This is the opposite of decks that feel "cartoony" and flat.
  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

• Layered symbolism: The Dali deck integrates multiple symbolic systems—Hebrew letters, astrological signs, and Roman numerals—while VGT channels Vincent's cosmic vision through color, texture, and movement.
  

• Art History: Both decks allow users to connect with an artist on a deeper level, uncovering stories behind their works. For example, Gala Dalí was an avid Tarot reader and likely influenced this deck. Dalí himself appears as The Magician, and Gala is depicted as The Empress. The thing that really sets our deck apart is that we will offer insights about the artist and the specific painting through the audio guides. In many cases, the historical and artistic context is essential to the meaning of that card and instead of putting this text into a guide, we can deliver it in several ways. We have ideas of how readers can find this information, and how it will be an elegant and simple process.

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

How Van Gogh Tarot Differs from Dali Tarot:

• It's not a traditional Tarot deck: Unlike the Dali deck, Van Gogh Tarot does not follow the Rider-Waite structure or include Minor Arcana, making it more intuitive and accessible.
  

• The language of Van Gogh: Rather than reinterpreting existing Tarot imagery, Van Gogh Tarot builds upon the cosmic and emotional energy of his paintings to create something entirely new.
  

• Focused exclusively on Creativity: The 54-card structure and evocative card names (e.g., Show Your Work, Wonder, Keep Going) make it easy to understand without prior Tarot knowledge.
  

• Innovative audio guide: Van Gogh Tarot offers an audio component to everyone who purchases the deck. This allows readers to hear deeper insights and context for each card, and develop a more personal connection with the material.
  

  

  
  

  DALI TAROT Author: by Johannes Fiebig

  Published by TASCHEN America LLC

  December 1, 2019

  78  Cards Guidebook: 184 pages

  
  
  
  

  
  

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