This solo exhibition of Dalí’s work, first of its scale to arrive in India, will be held in New Delhi after already being shown in prestigious museums including: Musee Boymans, Rotterdam; Musee Pushkin, Moscow; Kunsthaus Zurich and Staatsgalarie, Stuttgart; Isetan Museum of Art, Tokyo; Daimaru Art Museum, Osaka and Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan. The collection's permanent home is at the Museum of Surrealism in Melun, France and the Dali Museum in Figueres, Spain.

 

 

A Rare & Impassioned Collaboration Between Artist and Publisher It has often been said by those in the art world that: "Salvador Dali was the creative genius... and Pierre Argillet was the publishing genius!". This exhibition will display the fruits of the couple’s collaborative relationship, which spanned over five decades, while also discussing the details of their joint contemplations. Dali’s open-mindedness and innate ability to embrace a plethora of topics and themes is at its peak in these etchings and drawings, which address different topics, from religion to literature to politics to eroticism. Pierre Argillet’s daughter, Christine Argillet, spent much of her childhood in the presence of Salvador Dali, and experienced his receptivity and broad-mindedness first-hand. Her presence in New Dehli for the opening week of this exhibition will provide invaluable insight into the collaboration between her father and Dali, and into the works they produced together.

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A Revolutionary Artistic Vision Salvador Dalí, celebrated for his eccentric genius, continues to mesmerize audiences with his dreamlike landscapes and profound exploration of the subconscious. His iconic works, such as The Persistence of Memory, challenge our perceptions of time, space, and reality. In an era where human emotions are complex and identities are ever-shifting, Dalí’s art remains relevant, reflecting our contemporary struggles with mental health, vulnerability, and resilience​.

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Exhibition Highlights Pierre Argillet was a publisher famous for his strict approach towards the significance of artistic expression. Therefore, he was very particular with the works that he published. Even with Dalí, some of the collections proposed by the artist were denied by Argillet and published elsewhere. Dalí and Argillet were part of the heated 20th century philosophical conversation. Both were inspired by new “destructive” ideas in Dada, Psychoanalysis and Post-Modernism, yet, they also wished to reintroduce “unity” into the traumatic post-war discussion. Christine Argillet Says about Dalí: “The idea that all things have a shared link... it was the common denominator... Dalí’s philosophy... if you will.”. Many of the serieses to be presented in this exhibition revolve around literary works of art that are of special significance to 20th century thought, for example: Greek Mythology, “Faust” by Goethe and “Venus in Furs” by Sacher-Masoch.

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Dalí’s romanticism, his love for innocense and his belief that good and evil are intertwined, are showing in his unique interpretations of these works of art. Other serieses to be found in this exhibition offer commentary on significant world events of the time. The series “Poems by Mao Zedong”, for example, combines political satire with a sincere exploration of chinese culture. Another series, “Hippies”, which shows Dalí’s take on the “Love and Peace” years, is based on photographs taken by Argillet in a trip to India.