Surrealist Salvador Dali is Coming To India
In a landmark cultural event, India is set to host an exhibition featuring the works of Salvador Dalí, one of the most influential surrealist artists of the 20th century. This exhibition, running from February 7-13 , will bring Dalí’s rare etchings, watercolours, and tapestries from the prestigious Pierre Argillet Collection. It is the first time, that Indian audiences can experience the surreal world of Dalí. The exhibition will later move onto the Massarat Gallery by Bruno Art Group, where it will be on view from February 15 to March 16.
What to Expect with ‘Dalí’s Comes to India’
‘Dali Comes to India’ is an ode to artist Salvador Dalí and his groundbreaking contributions to surrealism, presenting over 200 original works that span his illustrious career. The key pieces reflect Dalí’s unparalleled creativity and collaboration with his long-time publisher and friend, Pierre Argillet. This collection includes iconic works such as etchings from ‘Mythologie,’ ‘Les Chants de Maldoror,’ and other surrealist interpretations that exemplify Dalí’s dreams, subconscious fears, and fantastical imagery.
What are Artist Salvador Dalí’s Works About?
In our rapidly evolving, often chaotic world, Dalí’s art maintains a profound relevance. His surreal landscapes and psychological themes mirror contemporary issues, reflecting complex notions of identity, mental health, and the intricacies of human emotion. Works such as ‘The Elephants’ (1948) contemplate the delicate balance between fragility and strength, resonating deeply with modern struggles of vulnerability and resilience. Similarly, ‘The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory’ (1954) offers a prescient exploration of the dissolution of time and reality, eerily echoing our experiences in today’s digital age where the boundaries between the virtual and the real increasingly blur.
The Highlights of ‘Dalí’s Comes to India’
The exhibition showcases over 200 etchings produced during Salvador Dalí’s long-standing collaboration with publisher Pierre Argillet. The notable series in the collection include the following.
- The Songs of Maldoror: A set of 50 prints, including 8 reworked plates where Dalí added elaborated visions of his childhood traumas.
- Mythology: 16 etchings drawing closely upon the symbolism of ancient Greek legends, created using artist Salvador Dalí’s “hasard objectif” technique.
- Secret Poems by Apollinaire: 18 original etchings reworked in drypoint, initially inspired by Georges Brassens’ songs but later shifted to illustrate Apollinaire’s poems.
- Faust: 21 original etchings with roulette, ruby, and diamond, brilliantly illustrating Goethe’s masterpiece within magic circles and alchemical symbols.
- Don Juan: Three hand-coloured original drypoint etchings based on Seduction, Love, and Death.
- Individual Etchings: A selection from 242 original copper etchings created between 1960 and 1972, showcasing Salvador Dalí’s diverse artistic vision.
About Salvador Dalí
Salvador Dalí (1904-1989) remains one of the most iconic figures in art history, renowned for his eccentric personality and revolutionary approach to surrealism. A native of Catalonia, Spain, Dalí’s work is instantly recognizable for its dreamlike qualities, bizarre yet captivating imagery, and technical precision. His most famous painting, ‘The Persistence of Memory,’ with its melting clocks, has become a universal symbol of the fluidity of time and the subconscious mind.
Dalí was not just a painter but a multidisciplinary artist whose influence extended to film, sculpture, fashion, and literature. Collaborating with greats like Luis Buñuel and Alfred Hitchcock, Dalí’s work often blurred the lines between different art forms, making him a true pioneer of modern art. His method, known as the “paranoiac-critical method,” allowed him to tap into the irrational and fantastical, producing works that continue to challenge and inspire audiences worldwide.
About the Pierre Argillet Collection
The Pierre Argillet Collection has been exhibited at prestigious institutions around the world, including the Musée Boymans in Rotterdam, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and the Dalí Museum in Figueras, Spain. Pierre Argillet’s relationship with Dalí was not merely professional but deeply personal, marked by a shared passion for surrealism and artistic experimentation. Argillet’s meticulous curation of Dalí’s works ensures that each piece in the collection reflects the surrealist master’s unique vision and technical mastery.
Image Courtesy – Bruno Art Gallery
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