Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Salvador Dali Sucked Ali MacGraw's Toes In The St. Regis
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published May 20, 2011
Modified May 20, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jamie Feldmar
Published May 20, 2011
Modified May 20, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Well, here's a new one from the vaults of history: apparently Surrealist artist Salvador Dali had a thing for sucking on the toes of nubile young starlets, at least according to onetime young starlet Ali MacGraw in her new book, Moving Pictures. Apparently, a pre-Love Story MacGraw was modeling for the artist in his St. Regis hotel room when Dali demanded that she disrobe. That's when things got a little weird.
"This scared the living hell out of me," MacGraw wrote, "until I sized up the very old man and figured that if he got worrisome, I would be more than capable of fending for myself...This resolve came slightly unglued when I saw with horror that Dali was crawling under the table separating us. Suddenly, down on the floor, out of my sight, I felt him begin to suck my toes!" And with that, MacGraw peaced out.
The love bites shouldn't come as much of a shock to those familiar with Dali's work: according to the Tate Gallery, "he drew a close analogy between food and sex" (and also found lobsters and telephones highly sexual). And although the sketches were never released, here's an idea of what they might have looked like—paging Ryan O'Neal to confirm.
Tagged
ali macgraw
salvador dali
st. regis
surreal
toe sucking
Jamie Feldmar
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
Spoiler alert: It's still 26.2 miles.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Published Oct 14, 2026 at 2:36 p.m. ET
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Arts & Entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .