Salvador Dalí was a key player in the Surrealist movement. His work, like the famous melting clocks in The Persistence of Memory, is known worldwide. From his unique self-portraits to collaborations with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock, Dalí’s influence is unmistakable.
Last year marked 120 years since Dalí’s birth, and his legacy continues to captivate. Indian art fans have a great chance to delve into his world with the upcoming exhibition, Dalí: The Argillet Collection, in New Delhi. This show features over 200 etchings, drawings, and tapestries, highlighting Dalí’s extraordinary creativity.
The collection, curated by Christine Argillet, showcases works from her father, Pierre Argillet, who was a close friend and collaborator of Dalí. Their partnership began in the late 1950s and lasted through Dalí’s life, resulting in a vast array of stunning artwork.
After Pierre’s passing in 2001, Christine took the time to curate these incredible pieces. She explains that Dalí had a fascination with Indian myths, which interconnected with Western culture and spirituality. This interest manifested in 11 etchings he created for her father in 1970, reflecting the era’s hippy movement and the West’s growing interest in Eastern philosophies.
The exhibition has traveled globally, stopping at renowned locations like the Musée Boymans in Rotterdam and the Dalí Museum in Figueres, Spain. It includes sketches inspired by Pierre’s photographs from his travels in India during the 1970s, when many young Americans were searching for enlightenment.
Another fascinating connection between Dalí and India emerged in 1967. Air India commissioned him to design special ashtrays for elite clients, offering an elephant as payment instead of money. According to reports, this unusual arrangement occurred when Jot Singh, Air India’s PR officer, unexpectedly met Dalí in a hotel in New York.
The porcelain ashtrays were a nod to Dalí’s 1937 artwork, Swans Reflecting Elephants, featuring designs that shifted between swans and elephants depending on their angle. Dalí’s wish for an elephant stemmed from his desire to keep it in his garden in Spain, observing the moonlight through its form. Air India arranged for a two-year-old elephant to travel from Bengaluru, India, to Dalí’s home in Cadaqués, Spain, where it stayed until later years in a zoo.
Christine fondly remembers Dalí as a humorous and elegant man, known for blending cultures in his artistry. Many pieces in the exhibition reflect this mix. For example, her etching titled Santiago of Compostella shows hippy guitarists alongside a middle-aged cellist and an elephant, symbolizing the fusion of different cultural elements in his works.
A glimpse into mythology can be found in 21 etchings illustrating Goethe’s tragic play Faust, as part of Dalí’s Secret Poems by Apollinaire. Another intriguing piece is Study for the Demons, a series created in 1968 based on poems by Mao Zedong, intertwining political commentary with Chinese culture.
Mark your calendars for Dalí Comes to India, set to run from 7 to 13 February at the India Habitat Centre, followed by a showing at Masarrat Gallery by Bruno Art Group from 15 February to 16 March.
