Gala Dalí

In the surrealist world of Salvador Dalí, few figures shine as brightly and as mystically as Gala.  Known to the world as Dalí’s wife, muse, and collaborator, Gala was the central star around which Dalí’s entire universe revolved.

As we celebrate her birthday this week, we delve into the extraordinary story of the woman who was not only Dalí’s muse but also his manager, his saviour, and his eternal obsession.

Born Elena Ivanovna Diakonova in Kazan, Russia, on September 7th, 1894, Gala was a woman of immense intellectual and personal magnetism. Before meeting Dalí, she was a central figure in the Parisian Surrealist movement, inspiring poets and artists alike, including her first husband, Paul Éluard, and the painter Max Ernst. But it was in the summer of 1929, when she was invited with Éluard to Dalí’s home in Cadaqués, Spain, that her destiny was irrevocably changed.

Savador Dalí, a young, tormented artist, was immediately captivated by her. For him, it was love at first sight so profound that he saw in her not just a lover, but a divine mother figure, a spiritual partner who could guide him out of his inner turmoil.

The Catalan artist was so completely enthralled that he wrote: “She was destined to be my Gradiva, the one who advances, my victory, my wife”. This meeting marked the beginning of a legendary union that would define the rest of his life and career.

Gala was the pragmatic force behind Dalí’s explosive genius. She organized his life, managed his finances, and tirelessly promoted his work, fiercely negotiating with gallery owners and collectors.

It was she who saw the potential for a global phenomenon and pushed him to pursue fame and fortune in America. Dalí himself famously acknowledged her influence, declaring: “It is mostly with your blood, Gala, that I paint my pictures”.

The anecdotes of their life together are as surreal as Dalí’s paintings. Gala was a formidable woman, often perceived as domineering and even tyrannical by some in their circle, but to Dalí, she was his queen.

Their relationship, while unique and at times unconventional, was a symbiotic masterpiece. Dalí famously stated that he loved her so much he would “polish Gala to make her shine, make her the happiest possible, caring for her more than myself, because without her, it would all end”.

The depths of his devotion were also expressed through art. The Master of Surrealism painted her hundreds of times, casting her in the most powerful roles, from the Virgin Mary in The Madonna of Port Lligat, to “My Wife, Nude, Contemplating her own flesh becoming Stairs, Three Vertebrae of a Column, Sky and Architecture”, and as the central figure in Galatea of the Spheres.

Dalí even began signing his works with both their names, “Dalí-Gala”, as a testament to their inseparable creative partnership. This was more than a gesture; it was a profound acknowledgement that his art was not his alone, but a product of their shared existence.

In 1968, Dalí cemented his love and gratitude by purchasing the castle of Púbol for Gala, a medieval fortress that became her private sanctuary. He could only visit with her written permission, a symbolic gesture that underscored his reverence for her independence and privacy.

After her death in 1982, Dalí was inconsolable. He moved into the castle, refusing to leave and falling into a deep depression, which marked the final, tragic phase of his life.

Gala’s legacy is undeniable. She was the one who gave the world Salvador Dalí as we know him, the one who transformed a brilliant but fragile young man into one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century.

Her ambition, her business intelligence, and her unwavering faith in his genius were the foundation of his success. The story of Dalí and Gala is not just a love story; it is the story of two singular souls who, together, created an artistic universe that continues to fascinate and inspire.

“Gala became the salt of my life, my lighthouse, my double, myself”.

Salvador Dalí

Cover image: Gala and Salvador Dalí, c. 1933, © Fundació Gala – Salvador Dalí.

Alfred Hitchcock

.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the release of Spellbound (1945), the iconic film directed by Alfred Hitchcock that changed the way surrealism and cinema could work together.

At the heart of this groundbreaking collaboration was Salvador Dalí, the Master of Surrealism, who brought his dreamlike imagination to the big screen and created a dream sequence that became a landmark in film history.

In 1945, Hitchcock was searching for a way to visually portray dreams in his psychological thriller Spellbound, which explored themes of psychoanalysis and amnesia.

Convinced that no artist could capture the essence of dreams quite like Dalí, he asked him to design a dream sequence that would be as fascinating as it was unsettling. Dalí accepted with enthusiasm, bringing his unique surrealist vision directly to the film set.

The result was a spectacular dream sequence that has become an integral part of Hollywood history. Dalí, created a cinematic moment that vividly illustrated the elusive nature of the subconscious, where reality blends with repressed thoughts and the hidden workings of the mind. One of his monumental paintings served as the background for the dream sequence in Spellbound.

.

.

.

Originally lasting around 20 minutes, the dream scene was eventually cut down to just two minutes in the final version of the film. Yet those two minutes left an unforgettable impact: distorted landscapes, endless eyes, masked figures, and surreal architectural elements created a haunting atmosphere that transported viewers into an entirely different reality. It became one of the most iconic moments of the film and a powerful example of how art can deeply influence the language of cinema.

.

.

Dalí didn’t stop at preliminary sketches. He meticulously planned every detail of the scene, combining architectural perspectives with symbolic elements inspired by psychoanalysis. The dream included bizarre and unforgettable visuals, masked men playing cards in a casino, walls covered in staring eyes, and roots growing out of a fireplace.

Through a monumental painting, measuring 5 by 11 meters, Dalí brought to life the dreamlike state of the unconscious, where hidden emotions and symbols take shape. The artwork, created on two separate canvases (each 5.2 x 5.75 meters), was mounted on wooden frames, allowing it to be displayed together or individually.

.

.

A fascinating aspect of Dalí’s creative process for Spellbound was his use of long, exaggerated perspectives and sharp shadows, distinctive features of his style. Hitchcock admired these choices, later explaining that Dalí had a unique way of capturing the “vividness of dreams”, unlike anything seen before in cinema.

“I could have chosen De Chirico or Ernst”, Hitchcock said in an interview, “but none were as imaginative and extravagant as Dalí. I wanted Dalí because of the architectural sharpness of his work”.

Gala, Dalí’s wife and muse, also played an important role in the creation of the Spellbound scene. While she wasn’t directly involved in the design, her constant presence and emotional support helped Dalí fully immerse himself in the project.

The partnership between Hitchcock and Dalí didn’t just enrich the film visually, it became a symbolic meeting point between surrealism and cinema. The dream sequence in Spellbound remains a brilliant example of how art can transform film into a sensory experience that goes beyond time.

Dalí was the perfect artist for this project. He had a deep interest in psychoanalysis, had carefully studied Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), and had even met Freud in London in 1938, an encounter that left a lasting impression on his work.

.

.

Beyond its cinematic debut, the Spellbound painting has traveled the world. It was exhibited in Los Angeles at Hall of Mirrors: Art and Film Since 1945 at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Today, the artwork is part of the Dalí Universe collection and continues to be displayed in exhibitions worldwide, allowing visitors to admire this extraordinary piece of art.

Most recently, in April 2024, the monumental painting gave its name to the exhibition “Dalí: Spellbound – The Exhibition”, held at the Old Philharmonic Hall in Munich. The exhibition offered visitors the rare opportunity to see the Spellbound painting alongside some of the most important works from the Dalí Universe collection, including the monumental sculptures The Persistence of Memory and Rhinocéros Cosmique.

.

.

Even 80 years later, the influence of Dalí’s work in Spellbound remains strong. This visionary film continues to inspire artists, filmmakers, and dreamers around the world. It’s a powerful reminder of Dalí’s extraordinary ability to see beyond reality and translate the invisible into unforgettable images.

Salvador Dalí’s unique vision showed us that art knows no limits; it can cross into different worlds, touch every creative field, and enrich them with imagination, emotion, and depth.

Salvador Dalì

Officially opened to the public on Sunday, July 13, 2025, “The Form of Dalí” is an extraordinary exhibition dedicated to the Master of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí.

Set against the stunning backdrop of the Serensia Woods resort in Hengqin, China, this immersive exhibition is the result of a remarkable collaboration between Serensia Woods, under the visionary leadership of founder Amber Li, and the Dalí Universe, supported by leading figures in the Chinese cultural and tourism sectors.

Thanks to the synergy between Serensia Woods and the Dalí Universe, “The Form of Dalí” stands as one of the most evocative and ambitious exhibitions of Dalí’s work ever presented in Asia.

In her opening remarks, Amber Li stated: “Bringing this exhibition to Hengqin has been a journey of more than a year. We believe that art plays a vital role in fostering awareness, mental well-being, and cross-cultural dialogue. This event is just the beginning of a broader vision”.

The grand opening evening, held on Friday, July 11, welcomed over 170 guests into an atmosphere brimming with enchantment, symbolism, and surrealist wonder.

Among those present at the opening ceremony were Dr. Marco Franchi, Vice President of the Dalí Universe, who shared insightful reflections on the cultural and spiritual significance of the exhibition, as well as on the profound connection between Dalí’s art and the Chinese audience.

Featuring around 150 works from the prestigious Dalí Universe Collection, the exhibition leads visitors on a multisensory, immersive journey into Dalí’s visionary world. On display are bronze sculptures, lithographs, jewels, and a selection of elegant dresses, housed within a captivating, interactive installation that brings the surreal to life.

For the first time in China, the exhibition presents two monumental bronze sculptures from the Dalí Universe Collection: “Dance of Time I”, the iconic melting clock that embodies Dalí’s vision of time as fluid and relative; and “Horse Saddled with Time”, a striking composition featuring one of the Catalan artist’s favorite images, a horse saddled with a Dalinian clock.

.

.

“Soft watches are nothing more than paranoiac critical Camembert, soft, extravagant and unique in space and time”, Dalí once said. To the artist, time and space could not be separated. The bronze sculptures “Dance of Time I” and “Horse Saddled with Time” vividly portray time in its dreamlike, elusive, and metamorphic form.

More than just a venue for the exhibition, Serensia Woods becomes an active participant; an immersive stage where every detail becomes an extension of Dalí’s vision. In harmony with the resort’s philosophy of holistic well-being, the exhibition integrates multisensory experiences, including Dalí-inspired creative workshopsand immersive themed dinners.

During the opening night, guests were treated to a culinary experience inspired by Dalí’s legendary cookbook “Les Dîners de Gala”, where each dish was conceived as an edible artwork, a theatrical fusion of gastronomy and imagination.

This unique blend of art and wellness has captured the attention of international figures in both the cultural and tourism spheres. According to the exhibition’s curators, one of the key goals is to position Hengqin as a new hub for international art and wellness culture.

Salvador Dalí declared: “Form is always the product of an inquisitorial process of matter – the specific reaction of matter when subjected to the terrible coercion of space choking it on all sides, pressing and squeezing it out, producing the swellings that burst from its life to the exact limits of the rigorous contours of its own originality of reaction”.

And it is precisely Dalí’s idea of form that “The Form of Dalí” exhibition invites us to explore, offering the opportunity to discover the shape of the Master of Surrealism through the collection of works from the Dalí Universe.

The exhibition “The Form of Dalí” will remain open to the public until October 20, 2025, inviting visitors on a dreamlike journey through the timeless universe of Salvador Dalí.

Image: Salvador Dalí’s “Dance of Time I” in Hengqin, China. Photo @serensiawoods

Salvador Dalí

This summer, the town of Vieste becomes the gateway to the subconscious with an extraordinary exhibition dedicated to Salvador Dalí.

Titled “In the Mind of the Master”, the exhibition invites visitors into the visionary universe of the Master of Surrealism from 11 July to 31 August 2025, within the evocative setting of the Community Library – Ex Convento San Francesco.

Curated by Giuseppe Benvenuto and organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Vieste and the Dalí Universe, the exhibition brings together around seventy works from the prestigious Dalí Universe collection.

Among the highlights are museum sculptures, watercolours, original lithographs, etchings, photographs, and rare mixed-media works, all exploring the rich intersection of art and psychoanalysis.

The exhibition revolves around a central theme: the mind. Salvador Dalí’s fascination with dreams, subconscious impulses, and Freudian theory is on full display through iconic works such as “Dance of Time III”, featuring the famous melting clock, and “Snail and the Angel”, a deeply personal homage to the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud.

“In the Mind of the Master” exhibition also includes a rare etching titled “Psychoanalysis: Freud”, accompanied by Dalí’s original printing plate.

Visitors can also admire pieces from the enigmatic “Tarot” series, created in mixed techniques combining collage, gouache, and watercolour. Each work offers symbolic insights into Dalí’s inner world and his interpretation of archetypes and the unconscious.

The exhibition marks the third and final chapter of Vieste’s ambitious cultural program for 2025. Following the success of exhibitions dedicated to Steve McCurry and Jeff Koons, Salvador Dalí’s presence represents the culmination of this bold initiative.

“With Dalí, we close a circle that is actually a spiral”, said Graziamaria Starace, Cultural Program Director for the Municipality of Vieste. “Each exhibition has elevated the cultural axis of our city: from McCurry’s suspended humanity to Koons’ reflective irony, we now step into the mind of a true master, where art becomes a portal to the collective unconscious”.

Mayor Giuseppe Nobiletti echoed this sentiment: “This exhibition, like the others before it, is a political statement. Vieste chooses to be a place of thought, not just a tourist destination. Our vision is to build a conscious community by bringing deep content to the public square and letting global creativity speak through local spaces”.

The Community Library, housed in the historic Ex Convento San Francesco, offers a dynamic space where the cultural heritage meets art. The venue, increasingly recognized as a cultural incubator, reflects Vieste’s commitment to making culture not only accessible but essential.

The exhibition “In the Mind of the Master” will remain open to the public until Sunday, August 31, 2025.

Salvador Dalí

Battersea Power Station was conceived as a coal-fired power station and became a symbol of the UK industrial revolution, standing proudly on the south bank of the River Thames. The 21^st Century brought a redevelopment of this iconic landmark venue.  The building represents an very important part of London’s architectural heritage and it continues to evolve as a vibrant hub for creativity and expression celebrating arts and culture through immersive installations, pop-up markets, and striking chimney projections.

During the months of July and August Battersea Power Station will host a new exhibition dedicated to Salvador Dalí – the Master of Surrealism.

Entitled “Dalí & Surrealism” the exhibition is hosted by Clarendon Fine Art at their impressive new gallery space on the Upper Ground Floor of Turbine Hall A.

The exhibition features a carefully curated selection of sculptures from the prestigious Dalí Universe collection. The Clarendon Fine Art gallery space at Battersea Power Station offers a refined and immersive environment in which to encounter Dalí’s surreal world. 

Clarendon Fine Art, Dalí Universe’s esteemed British partner, organized this comprehensive exhibition of Dalí artworks in celebration of the 5 Year Anniversary of the Clarendon / Dalí Universe partnership. 

Stunning gold and silver sculptures from the Dali Universe Collection are being unveiled for the very first time to the British art loving public. These rare and precious artworks have never before been exhibited in Britain so it is an important occasion.

The striking array of bronze, silver, and gold sculptures conceived by Salvador Dalí are on display alongside rare, hand signed graphic artworks. Each sculpture on display highlights the extraordinary depth of Dalí’s imagination and the mastery with which he translated his dreamlike visions into three-dimensional form.

Dalí was unquestionably one of the most influential and visionary artists of the 20th century. From melting clocks to cosmic elephants, the iconography present in this exhibition captures the essence of Dalinian Surrealism.

The works are not only on view but also available for purchase, giving collectors and enthusiasts a rare opportunity to own a work in limited edition part of the Dalí Universe collection.

As Dalí himself once proclaimed: “The only difference between me and Surrealism is that I am Surrealism.” This exhibition brings that declaration to life, inviting visitors to engage directly with the physical manifestations of Dalí’s bold and unorthodox philosophy. It is a journey through the subconscious, a celebration of form and imagination, and a tribute to one of the most enigmatic figures in art history.

Dalí Universe is proud to continue this collaborative journey with Clarendon Fine Art, bringing the surreal universe of Salvador Dalí to one of London’s most iconic landmark gallery locations.

www.daliuniverse.com

www.clarendonfineart.com

In recent years, the Dalí Universe has launched impactful initiatives throughout Italy, proving that art can be experienced beyond the traditional boundaries of museums.

Salvador Dalí was never just a painter. He was a total artist; an untiring interpreter of dreams, obsessions, and the symbols of the unconscious. He moved effortlessly between painting, sculpture, writing, design, film, and even gastronomy, helping to create a surrealist aesthetic that united the visible with the imagined.

The Dalí Universe embraces this vision of art, curating experiences that highlight the playful, emotional, and philosophical dimensions of Dalí’s work. Its exhibitions present the Dalí Universe Collection in unique, multisensory formats; where art becomes a stage, and the viewer is invited to actively participate in the imagination of the Master of Surrealism.

.

.

Among its most innovative projects, “Dalí and Albarella: The Surrealist Island” took place in 2024 in the extraordinary natural setting of Albarella, a private island nestled in 528 hectares of nature reserve within the UNESCO-listed Po Delta. The exhibition showcased twelve monumental sculptures created by Salvador Dalí, placed along a scenic route designed by architect Simone Squarcina, where art seamlessly blended with the landscape in a continuous dialogue between creativity and nature.

Visitors were able to explore the dreamlike world of Dalí by bicycle, riding through lagoons, paths, and immersive installations; turning the exhibition into both a physical and mental journey. Special guided days and cycling itineraries were organized for off-island visitors, opening the doors of Surrealism to a wide and diverse audience.

.

.

In Modena, at the Palazzo dei Musei, the ongoing exhibition “Inside the Mind of the Master – Salvador Dalí: Art and Psyche” delves into the connections between Dalí’s imagination and 20th-century psychoanalytic theories. Curated by Beniamino Levi and supported by the city council, the exhibition has already welcomed over 26,000 visitors.

One of the most powerful and moving moments came from an inclusive project developed in partnership with Lega del Filo d’Oro. During a special event, volunteers from the foundation experienced a blindfolded guided tour, gaining insight into the sensory world of people who are deafblind.

Through touch, they “saw” Dalí’s sculptures, discovering textures and forms often overlooked by sight alone. This initiative, repeated in December 2024 with the foundation’s participants, sent a powerful message: art is for everyone, including those who experience the world in different ways.

.

.

Still in Modena, the Dalí Universe partnered with Fondazione ANT to host an event that combined psychological introspection and surrealist art. Psychologist Silvia Varani led a thought-provoking conference, followed by a visit to the Dalí exhibition. The goal was to raise funds for a new vehicle to transport cancer patients, demonstrating how culture can serve as a powerful means of genuine and practical solidarity.

The event created a symbolic bridge between Dalí’s thought, so rich in symbolism and reflection on identity, and the social mission of caring for human fragility, turning an evening of art into a collective gesture of care.

Looking back, it-s worth recalling the stunning 2019 exhibition “The Persistence of Opposites” in Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage city. Held in the ancient rock-hewn churches of Madonna delle Virtù and San Nicola dei Greci, the exhibition offered a poetic and powerful contrast between the millennia-old stone and the conceptual lightness of Surrealism.

Dalí’s art found new meaning in the City of Stones, where time, memory, and the mysteries of the mind echoed off ancient rock walls, bridging past and imagination.

.

.

The Dalí Universe is also a dynamic educational project. Its teaching programs engage students of all ages, encouraging creative paths that nurture critical thinking and imagination. Using augmented reality, virtual reality, and multimedia tools, Dalí Universe exhibitions become fully immersive and interactive, fostering a deeper connection with the artwork.

Dalí, a lover of paradoxes and metamorphoses, would likely have appreciated this technological evolution in how we experience art, where the visitor is no longer just a spectator but an active participant in the creative process.

With passion and vision, the Dalí Universe shows that art can be accessible, educational, inclusive, and deeply human. Whether it’s a surreal bike ride on an island, a sculpture explored through touch, a dinner inspired by Les dîners de Gala, or a conference sparking social action, every project is an invitation to enter the mind of the Master of Surrealism and come out transformed.

.

Salvador Dalí

Conceived by Salvador Dalí in 1954 and cast for the first time in 1984, “Surrealist Piano” is one of the most emblematic sculptures in the visionary and symbolic universe of the Master of Surrealism.

Standing nearly five meters tall, this bronze is much more than a sculpture; it is a vibrant fusion of obsessions and desires, theories and fantasies, deeply rooted in the psychoanalytic thought of Sigmund Freud.

At first glance, the Surrealist Piano appears to be a grand piano. But as is often the case in Dalí’s world, appearances are deceptive. Instead of traditional wooden legs, the instrument stands on elegant, dancing female legs adorned with frilly skirts and ankle boots, imbuing the work with a theatrical energy and dreamlike movement.

At the top of the piano, a golden ballerina strikes a graceful pose, merging music, the body, and the psyche into a single, dynamic entity.

But behind this surreal sculpture lies a much deeper story, woven from missed encounters, intellectual longing, and a fascination bordering on worship.

Dalí was profoundly captivated by Freud’s theories on the unconscious, dreams, and repressed desires. So much so, in fact, that meeting Freud became his greatest ambition.

In the 1930s, Dalí made several unsuccessful attempts to meet his idol. In 1937, he even travelled to Vienna, but was unable to see Freud, who was away for health reasons. He later wrote: “I remember with a gentle melancholy spending those afternoons walking haphazardly along the streets of Austria’s ancient capital. The chocolate tart, which I would hurriedly eat between the short intervals of going from one antiquary to another, had a slightly bitter taste (…) In the evening I held long and exhaustive imaginary conversations with Freud; he came home with me once and stayed all night clinging to the curtains of my room in the Hotel Sacher”.

At last, thanks to the writer Stefan Zweig, the long-awaited meeting finally took place in London in July 1938. Dalí was 34; Freud, 81. It would be their first and only encounter.

On that historic occasion, Dalí presented Freud with his painting “The Metamorphosis of Narcissus”, hoping to earn his approval for what Dalí called the “Paranoiac-Critical Method”, an artistic process designed to tap into the unconscious by analysing personal obsessions. While Freud did not offer explicit praise, he was intrigued enough to begin reconsidering his initial skepticism toward Surrealism and declared: “I had never met such a Spaniard! What a fanatic!”.

Dalí painted four portraits of Freud. In one of them, he was inspired by a fleeting image he saw in a restaurant while eating his beloved snails. He noticed Freud’s face on a newspaper and, in a moment of surreal revelation, associated it with the shape of a snail. “I understood the morphological secret of Freud”, Dalí said. “His skull looked like a snail. I felt I had to extract it with a pin”.

With this background, the sculpture “Surrealist Piano” takes on a whole new meaning. The sculpture becomes more than a surreal object, it transforms into a three-dimensional embodiment of Freudian thought filtered through Dalí’s genius.

The feminine legs, clearly erotic, express the sexual drives that, according to Freud, often appear in dreams disguised in symbolic forms. The golden ballerina becomes the aesthetic sublimation of desire. And the piano itself, transformed into a hybrid, living creature, occupies a psychological space rather than a physical one, a stage for the unconscious where logic is suspended and anything is possible.

For Dalí, reading “The Interpretation of Dreams” was a turning point. In Freud’s writings, he found the keys to deciphering his nightmares, his childhood obsessions, his fears of sexuality. Freud gave him the language, visual and conceptual, that would define his art forever.

“During the Surrealist period, I wanted to create an image of the inner world, the marvellous world of my father Freud”, Dalí once said.

The sculpture “Surrealist Piano” is not just a sculpture. It is an act of love and obsession, a bronze tribute to the thinker who most deeply influenced Dalí’s artistic vision. A sculpture that does not play music, but suggests a mental symphony; that does not speak, but evokes dreams; that does not walk, but dances, to the insistent rhythm of the unconscious.

In this masterpiece, Freud and Dalí meet once again, not in London, but in the heart of Vienna, at the Wiener Stadthalle, which is currently hosting the exhibition “Salvador Dalí: A Journey into the Imagination of a Genius”, inaugurated on May 30, 2025.

Dalí’s “Surrealist Piano” was chosen as the symbol of the exhibition in Vienna. It is a powerful and symbolic return: the same Dalí who once wandered the streets of Vienna in search of Freud now returns to the city of his idol, not in person, but as a stunning sculpture that speaks directly to our unconscious in the unmistakable language of Dalí.

The bronze “Surrealist Piano” has been installed on the rooftop of Studio F at the Wiener Stadthalle and will be on display until the end of September. The installation is part of the exhibition “Salvador Dalí: A Journey into the Imagination of a Genius”, currently on view at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna.

Salvador Dalí

Salvador Dalí wasn’t simply a painter. He was a visionary, a total artist with no borders or definitions. He transformed every medium, whether painting, sculpture, design or writing, into an extension of his boundless genius. And this, he believed, was the very essence of his genius.

Starting Friday, May 30, 2025, the genius of Dalí will be unveiled in Vienna through an exhibition dedicated to the Master of Surrealism and titled “Salvador Dalí: a journey into the imagination of a genius”.

The exhibition will showcase more than 150 works, including lithographs, engravings, drawings, bronze sculptures, glass works, and surrealist furniture, all from the Dalí Universe Collection.

At first glance, Vienna and Salvador Dalí might seem worlds apart; one shaped by imperial grandeur and classical refinement, the other by dreamlike visions and radical surrealism. Yet it’s exactly in this contrast that a compelling and symbolic connection emerges, making Vienna the perfect host for this immersive tribute to Dalí’s imagination.

One of the strongest links between Dalí and Vienna is Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, born and based in the Austrian capital. Dalí was fascinated, almost obsessed, with Freud’s theories about the unconscious, dreams, and repressed desire. These themes became the raw material of Dalí’s art, and visitors will rediscover them throughout the exhibition.

Dalí had a deep desire to meet his intellectual idol and even travelled to Vienna in April 1937 hoping for an introduction, but the meeting never took place. “During the Surrealist period, I wanted to create an image of the inner world, the marvellous world of my father Freud”, declared Salvador Dalí.

This exhibition will highlight the “Freudian Dalí,” the “Limitless Dalí” who constructed a personal universe filled with symbols, transformations, and metaphors. His mind was a surrealist labyrinth; where time melts, reality bends, and every form is reimagined.

More than 150 works will be on display in this unique, must-see exhibition, hosted inside Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle, a large multi-functional venue in the district of Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus.

The exhibition provides a fascinating look at Dalí’s prolific nature and his mastery of different materials. Bronze sculptures, gold objects, surreal furniture, hand-signed graphics, and delicate glass pieces show how his creativity broke free from the limits of traditional art.

Each artwork is a manifesto of Dalí’s vision; his philosophy, his reflections on the world, and his inner obsessions. Through art, he explored fear, desire, memory, and identity, turning even the most personal elements into surreal creations.

From sculptures like Homage to Terpsichore and Mannequin Javanais, to his literary interpretations of Shakespeare and the Marquis de Sade, each piece reveals the depth of Dalí’s thinking, merging mythology, psychoanalysis, and irony.

Dalí’s art is both spiritual and provocative, philosophical and sensual. Works like St. George and the Dragon or Surrealist Angel reveal a mind open to faith and mystery, a constant dialogue between the subconscious, myth, and creation.

The theme of time, one of Dalí’s lifelong obsessions, is strongly represented in sculptures like Profile of Time and Woman of Time. His iconic melting watches, first seen in The Persistence of Memory (1931), have come to symbolize a fluid, dreamlike perception of time, free from mechanical constraints.

The exhibition “Salvador Dalí: A Journey into the Imagination of a Genius” is exactly that: a journey into the artist’s imagination and his marvellous, limitless universe. With his eccentric persona, paranoid gaze, and unmistakable moustache, Salvador Dalí was not only a Master of Surrealism but one of the first artists to turn himself into a living work of art. He remains endlessly fascinating, a true icon of 20th-century art.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the monumental sculpture Surrealist Piano will also be on display. Nearly five meters tall, this stunning work presents the image of a grand piano transformed into a surreal, dancing object.

This stunning bronze sculpture was chosen specifically for the Vienna exhibition, as it perfectly embodies the boundless imagination of a genius who knew no limits, making it an ideal symbol for this celebration of Dalí in the Austrian capital.

The exhibition “Salvador Dalí: A Journey into the Imagination of a Genius” will open to the public on this coming Friday, May 30, 2025.

Salvador Dalí

.

The city of Modena celebrated Salvador Dalí’s anniversary with a sensory experience at the Palazzo dei Musei on May 11, 2025.

On the day Salvador Dalí would have turned 121, the Palazzo dei Musei in Modena opened its doors to an event that went far beyond a traditional celebration.

“Dinner with Dalí” was an evening where art, gastronomy, and imagination merged into an immersive experience designed to awaken all the senses, in honor of the Master of Surrealism.

The initiative, part of the exhibition In the Mind of the Master – Salvador Dalí: Art and Psyche, transformed the museum halls into a dreamlike theater, filled with visions, aromas, and flavours directly inspired by Dalí’s work.

“I know what I’m eating. I don’t know what I’m doing”, Salvador Dalí once said.

Amid sculptures, engravings, and psychedelic atmospheres, guests took part in a unique dinner-performance designed by Modenese chef Tommaso Zoboli, who reinterpreted some of the most eccentric recipes from Les Dîners de Gala – the famous cookbook published by Dalí in 1973.

“We would like to state clearly that, beginning with the very first recipes, Les Dîners de Gala, with its precepts and its illustrations, is uniquely devoted to the pleasures of Taste. Don’t look for dietetic formulas here”, is written on the very first page of Les Dîners de Gala.

Written and illustrated personally by Salvador Dalí, Les Dîners de Gala is not just a cookbook, but a true surrealist gastronomic manifesto. Featuring 136 dishes, some created in collaboration with the most renowned Parisian restaurants, the volume is a journey through exotic flavours, erotic allusions, and baroque theatricality.

It also includes provocative chapters such as Les je mange Gala (“I eat Gala”), where culinary eroticism flirts with symbolic cannibalism, creating a sensory vertigo that reflects Dalí’s visionary poetics.

Throughout the Modenese evening, each course was accompanied by projections, Dalinian storytelling, and readings from the book. The audience was able to savour the taste of the absurd and be transported into an alternate reality, where the rules of time, form, and reason are suspended, just like in one of the Catalan artist’s paintings.

Supported by the Municipality of Modena and curated in collaboration with the Dalí Universe, the event was a rare example of cross-contamination between visual, performative, and culinary arts. A sincere, bold, and multisensory tribute to the Master of Surrealism, celebrating his birthday in a truly Dalinian fashion.

Salvador Dalí

On this Sunday, May 11, 2025, we celebrate the 121st anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest icons of 20th-century art: Salvador Dalí.

Born in Figueres, Catalonia, on May 11, 1904, Dalí was not just a painter, he was also a sculptor, designer, writer, filmmaker, and provocateur. He was a multifaceted genius who reshaped the rules of art by blending dreams and reality into a continuous, surreal universe.

“My name is Salvador – Savior – a sign that in a time of formidable technology and rampant mediocrity, I am called upon to save art from emptiness”, Dalí once declared.

More than a century after his birth, Salvador Dalí continues to captivate audiences worldwide with his boundless imagination and surreal legacy.

This is not only due to the power of his artwork but also thanks to the tireless efforts of institutions like the Dalí Universe, which for years has been dedicated to preserving, promoting, and sharing the rich artistic legacy of the Catalan artist.

Led by Mr. Beniamino Levi, who played a pivotal role in encouraging Dalí to express his creativity in three dimensions, the Dalí Universe holds one of the world’s most significant collections of surrealist sculptures ideated by the Master of Surrealism.

Through international exhibitions and cultural events, the Dalí Universe keeps the artist’s legacy alive and sparks new curiosity in audiences of all ages. The Dalí Universe bronze sculptures, surreal furniture, graphic works, Daum glass, gold objects, and illustrated books reveal a three-dimensional Dalí, perhaps less known than the painter, but equally fascinating. These works allow us to explore his dreamlike vision through various media.

Dalí’s iconic face, with spiraling mustaches and wide, intense eyes, has become a symbol of 20th-century art. But behind the eccentric image was a brilliant mind that could transform the unconscious into visual form, depict absurdity with technical mastery, and turn madness into a universal language.

The work of the Dalí Universe is crucial because it goes beyond the public persona of the artist. It allows us to rediscover the vast range of his creative expression. In every Dalí Universe exhibition, Dalí is not only the painter of The Persistence of Memory, but also the sculptor who shaped melting time in bronze, and the designer who transformed everyday objects into surreal poetry and art.

Dalí didn’t just paint: he created a universe. And it’s precisely this universe that the Dalí Universe continues to share with the world today, honoring not only the artist but the visionary who transformed his life into a living work of art.

Salvador Dalí’s dreamlike world continues to live, travel, and inspire. “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it”, Dalí once said. Through his legacy, we will keep searching for it, just as he taught us to do.