AHVS 260 - Oct 20th - Fri

Salvador Dali

Plastic lobster, “old” telephone, “Bell Telephone”, numbers,
Lobster seems molded to the shape of telephone receiver

On a table ? Consider setting

Persitence of Memory

’34 - breakthrough into public sphere
Out of niche surrealist market
In US, got their heads around Persistence

’35 - TIME magazine

Surrealist as adj. and noun.
Dali was making surrealist artworks, but he was also a Surrealist
’35 - Surrealists kicked Dali out of group
They held a trial
This did not affect his reputation
Dali shared interest in Psychoanalysis, but that’s kind of where it stopped...

Many of the surrealists had v strong political ideals, a lot focused on communism
Dali liked to stay politically flexible

His grandstanding became to much for the Surrealists
He was too focused on commercial success
Garnered the nickname Avida Dallars from he Surrealists
(An anagram for his name)

He was still considered a Surrealist even after being kicked out…

Metamorphosis of Narcissus
’37

(Continued the style of Persistence)

Extenuated surrealist version of a myth

THEMES OF SURREALISTS
metamorphosis, change, anxiety, desire (Freud), disgust, distortion

Lobster Telephone
’36

’38 - First int’l Surrealist exhibition in Paris
5-week run
At this, Dali exhibits Lobster Telephone
Featuring a REAL LOBSTER

One of Dali’s British patrons commissioned the same work but with a plastic lobster

SEXUALITY

Lobsters and Telephones had strong sexual connotations for Dali

Lobster Telephone was a pairing of these concepts

the lobster represented erotic pleasure as well as pain

Dream of Venus
’39 World’s Fair in NY

Weird interactive installation by Dali,
Female women covered in fresh seafood, crustaceans,

Not placed near Spanish pavilion or w/e…
Placed in “Entertainment” section of fair
There was an admission fee

Purchase tickets at fish-head and walk through giant fake women’s legs as entrance

Melting clocks,

Persistence of Memory was enlarged

Dali felt compromised by the limitations imposed by politicians, administrators of the fair, etc

Was successful in that it brought his surrealist ideals to the masses

He wanted HUMOUR to present

He wanted to VIOLATE TABOOS

in concept, was an artistic version of a peep show, blended with a circus freak-show,

SHELLFISH

The lobster’s sexual organs are found in the tail, Dali meant for them to be close to the mouth when picking up the phone

Wrote autobiography in ’41

The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí

ELSA SCHIAPARELLI

Running in same circles as Dali in US

Featured lobster and crustacean motifs, was inspired by Dali
Not taking it too seriously ~

’40-’48 Dali and his wife lived in US
Enjoyed great success there

MoMA gave Dali first retrospective in ’41

Until WWII, PSYCHOLOGY was Dali’s chief interest

Starts to think about technology and science
Einstein becomes a huge influence for him
Nuclear physics is on his mind

Galatea of the Spheres
’52

After ’51 strong return to Catholicism
Marries these 2 influences
Calls this marriage NUCLEAR MYSTICISM

THE MYSTICAL MANIFESTO
’51

By the 60s his focus changes again, LASER TECHNOLOGY
He keeps pushing himself and experimenting with different styles
He would’ve just cont with the successful styles, so obviously wasn’t. Sellout

DALI’S POP ART

Starts to collaborate,
Philipe Hausman

Photograph of women forming a skull illusion
’51

50s-60s Dali has int’l acclaim and mainstream prestige

Designed covers for VOGUE
Designed logo for CHUPA CHUPS

Collar’d with Hitchcock - SPELLBOUND
’45 THRILLER

Ingrid Bergman was psychiatrist
Falls for insomniac she’s treating

Dream sequence was supposed to be 30 seconds,
They filmed 40 so minutes

His imagination was LIMITLESS

Collabed with WALT DISNEY
Less like pairing than HITCHCOCK

May have met early as ’37

“We have to keep breaking new trails…Dali is communicative and bubbling with ideas”
-Walt Disney

Disney had been compiling cartoon shorts

DESTINO

Disney imagined as vehicle for a cartoon short

830-5 Dali’s hours

They created 20 seconds of film
Many story boards
8 MONTHS
Dali was an employee
PROJECT PUT ON HOLD  ’46 ???

’99 - both dead, Disney’s nephew decides he wants to revive the project,
after seeing FANTASIA 2000

DESTINO WAS MADE

ACCEPTABLY BIZARRE

EDWARD JAMES
A key patron of Dali in 30s
Sold off large collection at CHRISTIE’S recently

Reprinted DALI’S COOKBOOK

’73 - LES DINERS DE GALA

MADE TO IMMORTALISE ACTUAL DINNER PARTIES IN NY

“THE HOSTESS IS DRESSED AS A UNICORN….ETC”

Elephant du triomphe

’75 conceived
’84 executed

#7 of 8 editions (very limited edition)

Estimated to sell for 600,000
Sold for over 5,000,000… stark underestimation

3 years prior
#4 was up on the block

BONHAM’S
Est for 75,000
730,000
Now selling for over 5.000,000


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WILLIAM HEAD INSTITUTION ?

KILSHAW’S AUCTION HOUSE

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