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Salvador Dali The surrealist

Salvador Dali The surrealist

With “Salvador Dalí - The Surrealist”, Opera Gallery affirms the renewed interest in the oeuvre of the Spanish artist, a few years after the last exhibition presented by the same gallery in Singapore. It is difficult to fully describe the experience of the first exhibition but, thanks to Gilles Dyan, the chairman of Opera Gallery and Stéphane Le Pelletier, the director of Opera Gallery in Asia, it is possible to re-live the same emotions in again welcoming the works of the Spanish Master at Marina Bay Sands.

Cover: Dance of Time II • Conceived in 1979, first cast in 1984 • Bronze, edition of 8 + 4 EA + 2 EF • H: 150 cm - 59.1 in.

As Sabiana Paoli, the gallery manager of Marina Bay Sands, maintains, Dalí, on his artistic journey, resumes and conveys in a filmic rhythm the poetics of surreality in all his multi-faceted forms, beginning with painting and arriving at sculpture. In the current exhibition, gouaches dedicated to tarot cards flow, clearly indicating a glorification of the ambiguity of the symbology of the cards that allude in an irreverent manner to certain symbology of catholic origins.

The uncertain and indefinite future freezes in Dalí’s paper creations in which his poetics join representations of the collective unconscious, of a psychological matrix, regaining possession of virtuosities typical of the surrealist movement. The temporal fluidity that constantly influences his works, both paintings and sculptures, is traceable in “Dance of Time”, in the limpness of the watch that abandons every pragmatic schematism of surpassing the limits of time and immersing oneself in the collective unconscious.

The surrealist concept repeats itself in “Space Elephant” in which one of Dalì’s favourite subjects, an elephant with very long and thin legs, supports the weight of the Roman obelisk, creating a work that symbolises the precariousness of bodies and their reciprocal and paradoxical equilibrium.

The descent into the profound unconscious of the psyche allows Dalì to navigate dream-like worlds and mysterious labyrinths, and to create dancing feminine subjects that invoke imaginary divinities in a process of metamorphosis that bares them or absorbs them in sexual ambiguity.

His sculptures live in an enchanted world, drifting in an atemporal dimension in which Venuses alternate with mythical characters, such as “Alice in Wonderland” or with unicorns or startled horses.

These are only some examples of the works that the Opera Gallery is presenting in a varied and charming journey, allowing collectors and viewers to concretely access the imaginary world of one the most representative signatory artists of the Surrealist Manifesto.

Sabiana Paoli Director Opera Gallery Marina Bay Sands

Museum Sculptures

SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON Conceived in 1977, first cast in 1984 Bronze, edition of 7 + 3 EA + 2 HC + 2 EF H: 148 cm - 58.3 in.

UNICORN Conceived in 1977, first cast in 1984 Bronze, edition of 7 + 3 EA + 2 HC + 2 EF H: 183 cm - 72 in.

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Dalí again transforms a traditional image by adding new and unexpected symbolic connotations. The

The unicorn is a mythical creature prominent in legends as an intricately linked symbol of purity.

classic interpretation of «St George and the Dragon» is commonly seen as the saint’s battle against here-

The horn of a unicorn is believed capable of neutralizing any poison. This animal also has connota-

sy and evil, St George being the guardian angel of Aragon and a celebrated saint of chivalry throughout

tions of chastity and virginity, both male and female, and was adopted as the sign or ideal represen-

medieval Europe. In this sculpture, we can see the artist himself, represented by St. George, slaying the

tation of the «perfect» knight. In some legends it was also a symbol of virility. Dalí chose to portray

dragon, while his inspirational muse, Surrealist Art, enthuses in the background. Metamorphic touches

the unicorn as a phallic figure whose horn penetrates a stone wall through a heart-shaped ope-

find their way into this sculpture too: the dragon’s wings turn into flames, and the monster’s tongue

ning, from which a drop of blood seems to be slowly falling. The nude, reposing female stretched

is a crutch, a favourite Dalínian image. We see the woman with her arm raised in the sign of victory.

out in the foreground at the hooves of the animal underlines the sensual nature of this sculpture.

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ALICE IN WONDERLAND Conceived in 1977, first cast in 1984 Bronze, edition of 7 + 3 EA, 2 HC and 2 EF

GIRAFFE WOMAN

H: 227 cm - 89.4 in.

Conceived in 1973

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Like Alice in Wonderland, Dalí travelled a long and arduous road through the land of dreams, by means of his

Bronze, edition of 8 + 1 EA + 3 HC

artistic expression. The artist was clearly drawn to both the incredible story-line and the extravagant characters

H: 240 cm - 94.5 in.

in this intoxicating fairytale. Alice is one of Dalí’s favorite images. She is the eternal girl-child who responds to the

The serene and delicate head of the classic and armless statue of Venus has been placed atop the long upright

confusion of the world behind the looking glass with the irrefutable naivety of childhood. After all her meetings

neck of a giraffe. The spotted and elegantly clad Venus is surprisingly ornamented with an opened drawer

with the inhabitants of this fantastic world, she returns to reality not only unharmed but unchanged by her sur-

which protrudes disproportionately from her body, supported by a crutch of irregularly elongated prongs.

realistic experience. Looking at Dalí’s sculpture we see that Alice’s jump rope has become a twisted cord sym-

The giraffe-like neck and lengthy extension of the drawer, paradoxically, give the sculpture a classical equili-

bolizing everyday life. Her hands and hair have blossomed into roses symbolizing feminine beauty and eternal

brium which creates an air of balance and harmony. Dalí has thus succeeded in the recreation and revision

youth. The Grecian drapes of her dress stand for Antiquity and the beauty that is respected throughout the ages.

of a classical art form and has produced a startlingly new version of beauty.

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Multiple Sculptures

DANCE OF TIME III PROFILE OF TIME

Conceived in 1979, first cast in 1984

Conceived in 1977, first cast in 1984

This cast at a later date

This cast at a later date

Bronze, green/gold patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

Bronze, green patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

H: 26,5 cm – 10.4 in. (excl. marble base)

H: 51 cm – 20.1 in.

The melted watch is the most well-known and beloved of Dalí’s iconoclastic images - the artist chose to

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This sculpture echoes Dalí’s famous 1931 painting ‘The Persistence of Memory’ in which the famous

portray this image consistently throughout his lifetime, beginning in 1931. The ever-present fluidity of time

melted watch appeared for the first time. As the watch liquefies over the tree, it forms into a human

is represented in this sculpture as time not only moving, but dancing in rhythm to the beat of the universe.

profile, underlining the interminable relationship between man and time. The unexpected softness

Universal time knows no limits; it must be remembered that time, as we understand it, is a human notion.

of the watch also represents the psychological aspect whereby time, whilst considered to be precise

Instead, Dalínian time is perpetual and ‘dances on’ stopping for no man, history or even the cosmos. The

and fixed in its nature, can, in fact, vary significantly in human perception. All men must bend to

image depicts Dalí’s fantastical relationship with time, his perception of its constricting limitations and the

the passing of time. We see Dalí’s profile in the face of the clock. There is a tear falling from his eye,

importance he believed to be inherent in memory. This image is depicted in three different forms: Dance of

lamenting the path of life that all men must travel.

Time I,II and III. 13

SPACE ELEPHANT Conceived and first cast in 1980 This cast at a later date

MAN WITH BUTTERFLY

Bronze, blue patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

Conceived in 1968 and first cast in 1984

H: 94 cm – 37 in.

This cast at a later date The Space Elephant embodies the Dalinian symbol that was born in 1946 when the artist painted one of

Bronze, black/green patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

his most famous pictures ‘The Temptation of St. Anthony’. Dalí created the image of an elephant in the

H: 55,5 cm – 21,9 in.

Egyptian desert carrying an obelisk, a symbol of the presence and progress of technology in the mo-

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dern world. Four elephants stand on spider-like legs of desire, and offer art, beauty, power, pleasure and

This image of this elegant sculpture was originally designed as part of the Dalí’s famous Tarot series,

knowledge. For this sculpture, based on the elephants in the painting, Dalí maintains the almost invisible

which was created specifically for his wife and muse, Gala. The figure of Man with Butterfly leaves the

spindle-like legs emphasizing the contrast between robustness and fragility, and contrasting the idea

banality of the everyday grounded world for that of the butterfly, which, being lighter, will give the man

of weightlessness with structure. This fantastically surreal creature, moving through space towards the

wings and help him soar to a different physical plane - one where he can shed daily worries and habitual

heavens, symbolizes a flight of fantasy to a mesmerizing and surrealistic universe.

restraint.

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DANCE OF TIME II Conceived in 1979, first cast in 1984 This cast at a later date Bronze, green/gold patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

HOMAGE TO TERPSICHORE Conceived in 1977, first cast in 1984

H: 30,5 cm - 12 in.

This cast at a later date Bronze, green/gold patina, edition of 350 +35 EA

The melted watch is the most well-known and beloved of Dalí’s iconoclastic images - the artist chose to portray

H: 70,5 cm - 27.8 in.

this image consistently throughout his lifetime, beginning in 1932. The ever-present fluidity of time is represen-

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ted in this sculpture as time not only moving, but dancing in rhythm to the beat of the universe. Universal time

Terpsichore is one of the famed nine Mythological muses. In creating his version of the muse of dance, Terpsichore,

knows no limits; it must be remembered that time, as we understand it, is a human notion. Instead, Dalínian time

Dalí uses a reflected image, setting the soft, carnal muse against the hardened, statuesque one. The lack of defini-

is perpetual and ‘dances on’ stopping for no man, history or even the cosmos. The image depicts Dalí’s fantastical

tion in both faces clearly underlines the purely symbolic significance of these figures. The dancer with the smooth

relationship with time, his perception of its constricting limitations and the importance he believed to be inherent

and classical form represents Grace and the unconscious, while the other angular, cubist figure represents the ever-

in memory. This image is depicted in three different forms: Dance of Time I,II and III.

growing and chaotic rhythm of modern life. Both figures dance side by side in everyone.

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HOMAGE TO NEWTON Conceived and first cast in 1980

HOMAGE TO FASHION

This cast at a later date

Conceived in 1971, first cast in 1984

Bronze, brown patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

This cast at a later date

H: 35cm – 13.8 in. (excl. marble base)

Bronze, blue patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA H: 51 cm – 20.1 in.

Dalí honours and commends Newton for his discovery of the law of gravity, symbolised by the famed falling apple, represented here by a sphere of metal attached to a line, thus losing its impermanence as well as its capa-

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Dalí’s relationship with the world of haute couture began in the 1930s through his work with Coco Chanel,

city for regeneration.

Elsa Schiaparelli and Vogue magazine, and lasted throughout his lifetime. This remarkable Venus, posing in the

Dalí implies that the living being, Sir Isaac Newton, has become a mere name in science, completely stripped of

stance of a ‘supermodel’, has been created with a head of roses, the most exquisite of flowers. Her face lacks defi-

his personality and individuality, this is further symbolized by the lack of arms on the figure. To represent this

nition, allowing the admirer to imagine any face he desires. On bended knee we observe a dignified gentleman,

transformation, Dalí has pierced the figure with two large holes: one which portrays the absence of Newton’s vital

a ‘dandy’ paying homage to this 20th Century muse.

organs, while the other clearly displays the lack of mind. What remains is only symbolic representation.

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SURREALIST PIANO DALINIAN DANCER

Conceived in 1954, first cast in 1984

Conceived in 1949 and first cast in 1984

This cast at a later date

This cast at a later date

Bronze, black patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA H: 60 cm - 23.6 in.

Bronze, blue patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA H: 40,5 cm - 15.9 in.

The Surrealist Piano is one of Dalí’s major iconoclastic symbols. The artist has chosen to transform the

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banal wooden legs of a piano, replacing them with dancing female legs, thus creating an animate, joyous

Inspired by her own inner force, this vibrant dancer moves to the intense and passionate rhythms of the

instrument that can dance as well as play. Dalí often blurred the lines between the real and surreal worlds,

Spanish flamenco. Dalí was fascinated with the art and spirit of dance, especially that of the flamenco, em-

taking an inert and lifeless object, and, with a wave of his magic surrealist wand, created an entirely new

blematic of his homeland, and known for exploring the full range of human emotions. The dancer’s skirts

fantasmagorical happening.

twirl around her in a spontaneous display of vitality and ecstasy.

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TRIUMPHANT ELEPHANT

TRIUMPHANT ANGEL

Conceived in 1975, first cast in 1984

Conceived in 1976, first cast in 1984

This cast at a later date Bronze, blue patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

This cast at a later date Bronze, blue patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

H: 53 cm - 20.9 in.

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H: 50 cm - 19.7 in.

The elephant, Dalí’s iconoclastic symbol of the future and one of his favourite images, is often depicted

So light as to transcend the earth’s gravity, angels are a lyrical expression of Dalí’s world of dreams and

atop mosquito-like legs, emphasising the contrast between robustness and fragility, much like the contrast

fantasy - in fact, Dalí once said ‘nothing is more stimulating than the idea of an angel’! From the end of the

between the past and modernity. The animal’s jewelled saddle symbolises wealth, and the dawn of a new

1940s, when the artist began weaving strong religious themes into his artworks, angels appear frequently

era is announced by a flying angel, trumpeting success and prosperity. Dalí’s elephant exemplifies every

in his work. In this beautiful sculpture, the Dalínian angel trumpets his divine music, wings spread, head

individual’s hope for abundance and good fortune in the future.

thrown back, sending his jubilant message to all who will listen.

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WOMAN AFLAME

SURREALIST NEWTON

Conceived and first cast in 1980

Conceived in 1977, first cast in 1984

This cast at a later date

This cast at a later date

Bronze, green patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

Bronze, blue patina, edition of 350 + 35 EA

H: 84 cm - 33.1 in.

H: 49 cm - 19.3 in.

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This sculpture was born of Dalí’s respect for Sir Isaac Newton and his discovery of the law of gravity, repre-

This sculpture unites two of Dalí’s obsessions: fire, and a female figure with drawers. The flames seem to

sented by the famed falling apple. Dalí has pierced the figure with two large spaces: the artist implies that

have a life of their own, and represent the hidden intensity of unconscious desire, while the drawers re-

the living being, Newton himself, has become a mere name, stripped of his individuality, as his incredible

present the mystery of hidden secrets. This beautiful faceless woman symbolizes all women. For Dali, a

and revolutionary laws of motion obscure all personal details relative to the great scientist.

woman’s mystery is her true beauty.

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Inspired by her own inner force, this vibrant dancer moves to the intense and passionate rhythms of the Spanish flamenco. DalĂ­ was fascinated with the art and spirit of dance, especially that of the flamenco, emblematic of

Paintings

LA LICORNE, 1967

QUEEN OF WANDS

Watercolour on paper

Gouache on paper

97 x 141 x 3,8 cm - 38.2 x 55.5 x 1.5 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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31 x 24 cm - 12.2 x 9.4 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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KNIGHT OF PENTACLES Gouache on paper 31 x 24 cm - 12.2 x 9.4 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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SIX OF CUPS Gouache on paper 31 x 24 cm - 12.2 x 9.4 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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THREE OF PENTACLES Gouache on paper 31 x 24 cm - 12.2 x 9.4 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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SIX OF PENTACLES Gouache on paper 31 x 24 cm - 12.2 x 9.4 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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ACE OF SWORDS Gouache on paper 31 x 24 cm - 12.2 x 9.4 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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SEVEN OF SWORDS Gouache on paper 31 x 24 cm - 12.2 x 9.4 in.

Certificate Issued by Robert Descharnes

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WHEEL OF FORTUNE Lithograph Edition of 250 76 x 48 cm - 29.9 x 18.9 in.

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TEN OF WANDS

TWO OF SWORDS

Lithograph

Lithograph

Edition of 250

Edition of 250

76 x 48 cm - 29.9 x 18.9 in.

76 x 48 cm - 29.9 x 18.9 in.

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Later years In 1974, Dalí broke with English business manager Peter Moore and had the rights to his art sold out from under him by other business managers, leaving him with none of the profits. In 1980 a man named A. Reynolds Morse of Cleveland, Ohio, set up an organization called “Friends to Save Dalí”. Dalí was said to have been cheated out of much of his wealth, and the goal of the

Early life

foundation was to put him back on solid financial ground.

In 1983 Dalí exhibited many of his works at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid. This show made him hugely famous

Salvador Dalí was born on May 11, 1904, near Barcelona, Spain. He was the son of Salvador and Felipa Dome (Domenech) Dalí.

in Spain and brought him further into favour with the Spanish royal family and major collectors around the world. After 1984

His father was a notary. According to Dalí’s autobiography, his childhood was filled with fits of anger against his parents and

Dalí was confined to a wheelchair after suffering injuries in a house fire.

classmates and he received cruel treatment from them in response. He was an intelligent child, producing advanced drawings at an early age.

Dalí died on January 23, 1989, in Figueres, Spain. He was remembered as the subject of much controversy, although in his last years, the controversy had more to do with his associates and their dealings than with Dalí himself.

Dalí attended the Colegio de los Hermanos Maristas and the Instituto in Figueres, Spain. By 1921 he convinced his father that he could make a living as an artist and was allowed to go to Madrid, Spain, to study painting. He was strongly influenced by the dreamlike works of the Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico (1888–1978). He also experimented with cubism. He was briefly imprisoned for political activities against the government and was finally thrown out of art school in 1925.

Association with surrealist movement

Dalí’s own style eventually began to show itself: he would draw, in an extremely precise manner, the strange subjects of his dream world. Each object, while carefully drawn, existed in strange contrast to other objects and was contained in a space that often appeared to tilt sharply upward. He applied bright colours to small objects set off against large patches of dull colour. His personal style showed a number of influences, strongest among which was his contact with surrealism. The surrealists believed in artistic and political freedom to help free the imagination. Dalí’s first contact with the movement was through seeing paintings; he then met other surrealist artists when he visited Paris, France, in 1928. Dalí created some of his finest paintings in 1929.

In the early 1930s many of the surrealists began to break away from the movement, feeling that direct political action had to come before any artistic revolutions. Dalí put forth his “paranoic-critical method” as a way to avoid having to politically conquer the world. He felt that, by using his own vision to colour reality to his liking, it would become unnecessary to actually change the world.

The paranoic-critical method meant that Dalí had trained himself to possess the power to look at one object and “see” another.

This did not apply only to painting; it meant that Dalí could take a myth that was interpreted a certain way and impose upon it his own personal ideas.

She became his main influence, both in his personal life and in many of his paintings. Toward the end of the 1930s, Dalí’s exaggerated view of himself began to annoy others. André Breton (1896–1966), a French poet and critic who was a leading surrealist, angrily expelled Dalí from the surrealist movement. Dalí continued to be very successful in painting as well as in writing, stage design, and films, but his seriousness as an artist began to be questioned. He took a strong stand against abstract art and began to paint Catholic subjects in the same tight style that had previously described his personal nightmares.

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Photo credit: © Descharnes/Dalíphotos.com

A key event in Dalí’s life during this time was meeting his wife, Gala, who was at that time married to another surrealist.

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Selected exhibitions

1922 - Exhibition at the Galeries Dalmau, Barcelona, Spain 1925 - First one-man show in Barcelona, Spain 1926 - Second one-man show at the Galeries Dalmau, Barcelona, Spain 1928 - Three of Dalí’s paintings are shown at the 27th painting exhibition of the Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, USA 1929 - Dalí’s first exhibition, presented by Breton, at the Galerie Goemans, Paris, France 1930 - Ten works by Dalí are shown in what should be regarded as the first surrealist exhibition in the USA 1931 - First of three exhibitions which are to be held over the next three years at the Galerie Pierre Colle, Paris, France 1932 - Exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery, New York, USA 1933 - Solo show at the Julien Levy Gallery, New York, USA Exhibition at the Galeria d’Art Catalònia, Barcelona, Spain 1934 - Exhibitions held at “The Salon des Indépendants”, Julien Levy Gallery, New York, USA, Galerie Jacques Bonjean, Paris, France, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, USA and Zwemmer Gallery, London, UK 1936 - “The surrealist exhibition of objects” at the Galerie C. Ratton, Paris, France Solo exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery, New York, USA “Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism”, collective show at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA 1938 - “The surrealist exhibition” at the Galerie des beaux-arts, Paris, France 1939 - Exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery, New York, USA 1942 - Retrospective show at the Museum of Modern Art in eight American cities, USA 1947 - One-man show at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, USA and at the Bignou Gallery, New York, USA 1948 - Exhibition at the Galleria l’Obelisco, Rome, Italy 1954 - Major retrospective of Dalí’s work, Rome (Palazzo Pallavicini), Venice and Milan successively, Italy 1963 - Exhibition of most recent works at the Knoedler Gallery, New York, USA 1964 - Major retrospective organized by Mainichi Newspaper, Tokyo, Japan 1965 - Show with never seen paintings from Reynolds Morse’s private collection at the Gallery of Modern Art, New York, USA 1969 - Exhibition at the Knoedler Gallery, New York, USA 1974 - Opening of the Dalí Theatre and Museum, Figueres, Spain 1978 - Exhibition of Dalí’s first hyper-stereoscopic works at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA 1980 - Major retrospective at the Tate Gallery, London, UK 1983 - Exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Madrid, Spain

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Photo credits: © I.A.R Art Resources