“The only difference between me and the Surrealists is that I am a Surrealist”.
Salvador Dalí
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Shanghai, the global metropolis whose very essence is a dynamic marriage of modernity and ambition, plays host to the spectacular Dalí Universe Collection in an art exhibition that is at once a magnificent return and a provocative new beginning.
A decade after the historic exhibition that established a significant benchmark for Surrealist art in Asia, the Dalí Universe triumphantly returns to The Bund to captivate the Chinese public. This new exhibition offers an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the very depths of the Master of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí.
The prestigious Bund City Hall, an architectural jewel located at 200 Fuzhou Rd, Shanghai, beautifully evokes the city’s historical grandeur. For this extraordinary event, it has been transformed into a surreal stage to house the exhibition: “1922 Comienzo: Salvador Dalí × The Bund City Hall.”
The exhibition opened its doors on Tuesday, November 11th, 2025, and will remain open until March 10th, 2026.
The exhibition transcends a mere retrospective; it is a profound celebration of the concepts of “beginning” (comienzo) and “discovery.” The title itself, “1922 Comienzo”, establishes a fascinating parallelism: 1922 marks the year the majestic Bund City Hall building was inaugurated, and simultaneously, it was the very moment Salvador Dalí took his first, disruptive steps toward the career that would render him a legend.
This return to The Bund is particularly significant. In 2015, the city of Shanghai hosted the exhibition “Dalí’s Fantastic Universe” at Bund 18, where a substantial part of the Dalí Universe Collection was first unveiled to the Asian public. This event successfully consolidated a powerful link between the Surrealist imagination and China’s vibrant artistic scene.
Today, the “1922 Comienzo” exhibition picks up that vital artistic thread started in 2015, elevating the experience to a superior level of immersion and curatorial context. It boldly reinforces the Dalí Universe mission: to make the third dimension of the Master of Surrealism accessible within architectural settings of high historical and symbolic value.
The exhibition showcases an exceptional corpus of over 150 authentic works, highlighting the extraordinary artistic multifacetedness of Dalí.
“1922 Comienzo” exhibit pushes beyond painting to celebrate the Catalan artist as a sculptor, designer, illustrator, and jeweller, presenting bronzes, prints, furniture, glass works, illustrations, and even dresses, with several pieces being exhibited in China for the very first time.
The beating heart of the exhibition is represented by the iconic sculptures from the Dalí Universe Collection, particularly those dedicated to Time, Dalí’s great obsession.
The Monumental Sculpture Horse Saddled with Time stands as a genuine manifesto of relativity, where time, in the form of the melting clock, tames the force of reality and becomes the saddle upon an exquisitely Dalinian horse.
The Monumental Sculpture Dance of Time I captures the eternal and illusory movement of time itself with an absolutely Surrealist dynamism, transforming it into a perpetually dancing image.
Among the Museum Size Sculptures, the exhibition proudly presents the bronzes Giraffe Woman and Woman Aflame, artworks that explore the powerful symbology of drawers and fire, acting as keys to unlocking the feminine subconscious.
From the Smaller Museum Sculptures, Swan Elephant is a masterful example of the Paranoiac-Critical Method invented by Dalí, where two distinct images coexist in a single form. Meanwhile, Rhinocéros Habillé en Dentelles, which unites the geometric power of the rhinoceros with the capricious elegance of lace, evokes Dalí’s profound love for divine geometry.
The exhibition also features a dazzling array of Surrealist Furniture belonging to the Dalí Universe Collection, including the captivating Bracelli Lamp and the Leda Low Table, which brilliantly transform functional furniture into pure sculpture.
The dedicated Glass Section presents a selection of works Dalí created in 1968 in collaboration with the prestigious French glass-making company, Daum Cristallerie. This section offers the exhibition audience one of the world’s most interesting collections of colour-glass sculpture, including masterpieces like Venus aux Tiroirs and Oeil de Paques.
The exhibition also features the works comprising the “Dalí d’Or” coin collection from the Dalí Universe, a collection of gold coins Salvador Dalí created in the 1960s. Among these golden treasures, the public can admire Dalí Flower and Glorious Sun.
The entire exhibition is an explicit invitation to know the Surrealist Dalí through the unique works belonging to the Dalí Universe Collection.
To ensure an unforgettable experience, “1922 Comienzo” exhibition offers a museum itinerary enriched by magnificent set designs that enhance the exhibited works. These installations interact seamlessly with the art and the historic architecture of the City Hall, forging an unexpected synergy and transforming the visit into a journey of inner, surreal, and thoroughly Dalinian discovery.
Ten years on, by returning to The Bund, the Dalí Universe reaffirms a fundamental principle of art: the true beginning is never a fixed point in time, but the incessant capacity to dream a reality that is continuously renewed, reborn, and evolving to be explored; yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
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“The secret of my influence has always been that it remained secret”.
Salvador Dalí