“I am telling myself that ever since my adolescence I have been vicious enough to believe that I could permit myself anything solely because of the fact that I was called Salvador Dalí”.
Salvador Dalí
.
On January 25th, 2025, a new exhibition dedicated to the Master of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí, opened its doors at the Museo Storico della Fanteria dell’Esercito in Rome.
The exhibition, titled “Salvador Dalí, tra arte e mito” (“Salvador Dalí, between art and myth”), was organized by the international exhibition curator Vincenzo Sanfo, with the support of an international committee, and is under the patronage of the Lazio Region, Roma Capitale – Department of Culture, Italy, and the Oficina Cultural de la Embajada de España.
The exhibition aims to reveal not only the art but also the myth of an artist who revolutionised the perception of reality, as discussed by Alberto Angela during the episode aired on Sunday, February 23rd, 2025, on the television program “Passaggio a Nord Ovest”.
“Salvador Dalí was able to depict reality as a dream and sabotage every logical perspective, reconstructing it with the ancestral power of our own subconscious”. With these words, Alberto Angela introduced the exhibition “Salvador Dalí, between art and myth” in Rome.
Through over 80 works from private collections in Belgium and Italy, the exhibition guides visitors on a journey beyond painting, exploring sculptures, ceramics, jewelry, and even objects such as perfume bottles, elements that form part of Dalí’s vast universe and reveal the myth of Dalí.
Dalí Universe is very proud to present at the “Salvador Dalí, between art and myth” exhibition a selection of bronze sculptures from the Dalí Universe Collection.
The “Passaggio a Nord Ovest” television program offered a splendid presentation of this exhibition, revealing how Dalí, with his unconventional vision, created a new world. A world that defies the laws of logic and perception, a world where dreams take precedence over reality.
Alberto Angela led the audience on a fascinating journey to discover the Catalan artist who, through iconic works, succeeded in demolishing every conventional perspective and reconstructing it according to the theories of Sigmund Freud, which profoundly influenced Dalí both personally and artistically.
Salvador Dalí was not just a painter: he was the founder of a universe where every element is surreal and dreamlike. The famous statement by Dalí: “I am Surrealism”, is written in large letters on a wall of the exhibition path, emphasising how his communicative aspect contributed to building the myth of Dalí himself.
His face, with its bizarre mustache pointed towards the sky, “like the towers of the Burgos Cathedral”, to use Dalí’s own words, became the emblem of an artist who never limited himself to representing reality but always sought to destroy and reconstruct it according to the rules of the dream.
The exhibition “Salvador Dalí, between art and myth” is therefore a unique opportunity to explore not only the evolution of the artist but also that of his public persona. Among the works on display are his bronze sculptures from the Dalí Universe Collection, such as “Space Elephant”.
This stunning bronze, conceived in 1980, is based on one of Dalí’s best-known paintings, “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” (1946), where elephants carry obelisks in a desert landscape. The obelisk, symbol of knowledge and power, is Dalí’s homage to Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture in Rome.
The sculptures, like the paintings and lithographs displayed in the exhibition, tell the story of a man and an artist who, with his multifaceted personality, managed to transform dreams into works of art.
The exhibition does not only present Dalí’s works, but also features a selection of works by other artists who, like Dalí, shared a vision of art that transcends reality. The presence of works by poets like Federico García Lorca and filmmakers like Luis Buñuel, who shaped Dalí’s artistic path, gives the exhibition an even broader dimension, celebrating the entire Surrealist movement and its influence on 20th-century art.
The exhibition “Salvador Dalí, between art and myth” will be open until July 27, 2025, offering the opportunity to immerse oneself in Dalí’s world and discover the myth of Salvador Dalí through his vast artistic production and his incredible personality: unique, exceptional, and exquisitely surreal.
.
“I possess within myself the constant awareness that everything which touches my person and my life is unique and will always be characterised by an exceptional, complete, and truculent nature”.
Salvador Dalí