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Surreal
Salvador
Tabitha
Kingsley-Jones
The
name Salvador Dali has been associated with many things, beyond
his famous melting clocks. Mention of his name conjures images of
his bizarre, pointy moustache, novels, public controversy, the
Chupa Chups candy logo he designed, and his noble title: Marquis
of Pubol.
“The
name Dali is magic; he is an icon,” say the organisers of
‘Dali in
Shanghai
’. That’s why art fans are getting excited about seeing
‘Dali in
Shanghai
’, the largest exhibition of the Spanish surrealist’s work
ever shown in
China
. The show commemorates the 20th anniversary of Dali’s death,
and celebrates the broad body of work he created during his 84
years of life. ‘Dali in
Shanghai
’ encompasses many media, from his famous dripping clocks and
Mae West lips to glass pieces and collages.
Alex
Doppia of The Stratton Foundation and The Dali Universe, and
Guillaume Arnoud of UWANTART Gallery tell us more about what’s
actually in this massive exhibition of over 350 pieces, the
largest Dali show ever to come to China.
One
of the highlights of the show, they tell us, is the original oil
painting ‘Spellbound’, which Dali created for the set of
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1945
Hollywood
movie. “This is one of the biggest Salvador Dalí paintings
existing and has been exhibited very few times over the past 50
years,” the curators say. “The painting, on a large canvas,
measures 5.2 x 5.75m. Different interactive tools will serve to
make the exhibit more complete, such as videos, a selection of
photos, and Dali’s complete biography.”
The
focus of the exhibition is three dimensional work, so “four
monumental sculptures have been specially selected for show in
Shanghai
,” Arnoud and Doppia mention. The “towering and impressive
bronze sculptures which will leave visitors awestruck,” they
predict.
Arnoud
and Doppia say their curatorial aim is “to represent Dali as an
‘artist’ and not only as a painter,” offering viewers a once
in a lifetime chance to see “various surrealistic aspects of
Dali’s life-work.” Since Dali was quite prolific, producing
over 1,500 paintings as well as jewellery, clothing, furniture,
and sculpture, it is difficult to survey his entire life in one
shot. Instead, the exhibition is broken into sections by theme.
Dali
in
Shanghai
is presented in three sections: ‘Sensuality and Femininity’,
‘Religion and Mythology’ and ‘Dreams and Fantasy’. These
selections represent “some of his strongest beliefs; his
obsession with time, his fascination with beauty and the female
form and how can we forget his elephant depicted on long spindle
like legs.”
In
concrete terms, what makes this exhibition remarkable is its broad
range of media. Visitors will enjoy a rare chance to see:
“bronze sculpture, painting, glass, collages, portfolios of
graphics illustrating the great themes of literature, Dali
inspired furniture.” Some of the most highly anticipated pieces
are ‘Sewing Machine with Umbrella in a Surrealistic
Landscape’, ‘Bacchanale, Louis II de Bavière”, the
Tarots.”
“So
how would you describe Dali’s legacy?” we asked Doppia and
Arnoud. “Even 20 years following his death, if you stop anyone
in the street, most will be familiar with at least one of his
images,” they reply. “Dali still has influence on the artistic
world; Jeff Koons the icon of the contemporary art scene, when he
visited last year our permanent exhibition in Paris ESPACE DALI,
said that Dali was his master in art and preferred artist.”
9am-4pm.
Until 14 Aug. Shanghai Art Museum. 325
Nanjing
Xi Lu, People’s Square. Tel: 6327 2829. Email: [email protected].
Web: www.sh-artmuseum.org.cn.
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