Dali was fascinated by nuclear physics and when the atom bomb was first dropped he felt it had to be incorporated into art. Dali was probably amongst the first group of artists to depict the nuclear age with his image "Idillio Atomico" in 1945. He described the atom as his favourite food for thought.

Galatea of the Spheres is a wonderful piece. Suspended spheres, depicting the atomic particles, orbit around and also create the face of "Galatea" who is a sea nymph in classical mythology. Her eyes are closed and the viewer is drawn to her mouth where the spheres appear to originate.