This gift entitled Five Continents, sometimes called Clasped Hands, is an original watercolor painting by Salvador Dali.

This artwork shows, on a white background, three entwined hands emerging from the surface of the earth. They support two more arms, which join at the elbow from where a single rose grows. The five hands symbolize the five continents and the rose growing out of the arm denotes the “flower” of achievement through international cooperation. Seeds which drop from the hands symbolize further growth as they take root around the base of the arms where olive branches spring. In the distance an adult and a child look towards this symbol of man’s hopes and aspirations. 

The artwork is a gift by and from the artist, the Spanish artist Salvador Dalí (1904 – 1989), who was a leading proponent of Surrealism, the 20th century avant-garde movement that sought to realize the creative potential of the unconscious through strange, dream-like imagery. It is an original artwork from a world prominent artist, known for his technical abilities, clear drawing style, and distinct and odd imagery. 

The special stamp cachet with Dalí’s motif was presented during a ceremony organized at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 27 January 1966 in the presence of the United Nation’s Secretary-General U Thant. This original was then gifted to the UN from the artist himself.  

This watercolor was used as the artwork for a United Nations postal stamp honoring the World Federation of the United Nations Association (WFUNA), on its 20th anniversary in 1966.