“Painting is my least important aspect. The thing that really counts is the almost imperialist structure of my genius. Painting is only an infinitesimal part of that genius.”
Salvador Dalí
Montepulciano, one of Tuscany’s most captivating gems, renowned for its unmistakable historical heritage and Renaissance elegance, is preparing to host an event that promises to enchant and inspire all art lovers: the opening of an exhibition dedicated to Salvador Dalí, the Masters of Surrealism.
The exhibition “Salvador Dalí – EAT ME” organized by the Dalí Universe in collaboration with the Comune of Montepulciano celebrates 25 years since the first use of its brand in the art world, offering visitors the opportunity to discover the universe of Salvador Dalí in a context rich with history and culture.
The exhibition “Salvador Dalí – EAT ME” will take place at the Palazzo Bracci located in Via di Voltaia nel Corso, in the Renaissance heart of Montepulciano, and will be a unique opportunity to explore the works part of the Dalí Universe Collection.
Dalí was not just the painter of “melting clocks” and distorted landscapes. His brilliant mind traversed every corner of art, from painting to sculpture, from photography to design, always with the intent to challenge reality and reveal new dimensions of imagination.
The exhibition in Montepulciano, opening on Friday, April 25, 2025, will be a journey through the complexity of Dalí’s thought, offering the public a broad overview of his extensive artistic output. Not only monumental sculptures, but also graphic works, ceramics, and design objects that tell the story of an artist capable of transcending every discipline.
Palazzo Bracci proves to be the perfect place to house the universe of Salvador Dalí, a location where, with its refined architecture and the history that permeates every corner, it becomes the ideal stage for a meeting between Surrealism and the charm of Tuscany. This dialogue between Dalí’s art and the Tuscan landscape opens new perspectives, where the artist’s creative genius and the timeless beauty of the region merge into a single, extraordinary visual experience.
The exhibition will feature some of Dalí’s most iconic sculptures, in which the artist brought surrealist icons to life through bronze. Among the works on display is Homage to Terpsichore, a stunning sculpture in which Dalí applied a double stylistic register. As in the pictorial works created around 1925 and 1926, the composition demonstrates an incredible connection between the order of classical realism and the synthesis of Cubist shapes.
Among the other bronzes that will be displayed is Adam and Eve, a reinterpretation of the biblical myth, where Dalí plays with the concept of creation and its surreal reworking; and Triumphant Angel, standing 2 meters tall, which evokes the angelic figure through a surreal lens, revealing the power and grace of the religious image, reinterpreted in Dalí’s unique language.
In addition to sculptures, the exhibition also includes innovative design objects such as the famous Mae West Lips Sofa, which transforms a simple sofa into an icon of sensuality and irony, and a selection of ceramics, including Cœur de Fraise and Fruits Trouées, conceived in the 1960s and created in porcelain in 2008, playing with the concept of distortion.
The Dalí exhibition in Montepulciano goes beyond exploring his most famous works; it also delves into lesser-known aspects of his production, such as Illustrated books and Graphics, revealing Dalí’s constant search to unite the most diverse artistic techniques.
Visitors will be able to admire a selection of engravings and lithographs from the Dalí Universe collection, including Les Songes Drolatiques de Pantagruel, a series of gouaches and lithographs that showcase his mastery of illustration.
Moreover, Daum Glass Sculptures, such as Le Désir Hyperrationnel and Vert d’Espagne, exemplify Dalí’s experimental approach with materials like glass and his ability to evoke intense emotions through this medium, which captures light and features vibrant, Mediterranean-like colours. In its transparency, glass becomes a means to represent the complexity of the human psyche.
Dalí was a man who did not settle for defining art within traditional boundaries. As he himself stated, “Painting is an infinitely minute part of my personality”. His boundless creativity led him to explore every form of artistic expression, continually pushing the boundaries between art and reality.
Dalí’s work was never confined to one medium or one language: the catalan artist worked with sculpture, design, photography, and advertising, and his immense capacity to innovate is one of the reasons why he remains one of the most beloved and studied artists in the world today.
The exhibition “Salvador Dalí – EAT ME” in Montepulciano not only celebrates Dalí’s genius but invites the public to reflect on his relentless search for new expressive forms that revolutionized the artistic landscape of the 20th century and continue to inspire generations of artists, critics, and art enthusiasts.
Dalí Universe in Montepulciano will offer visitors the chance to immerse themselves in the world of the Master of Surrealism. The exhibition, which will open on Friday, April 25th, 2025, and run until January 2026, offers a unique experience of contact with the works of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, in a context that blends Tuscan Renaissance culture with Dalí’s visionary Surrealism.