Salvador Dal’s Masterpieces Make Indian Debut

Getty Images Salvador Dal is one of the most renowned advocates of Surrealist art. Although Spanish surrealist Salvador Dal never visited India, an exhibition showcasing his artworks is being held in the country for the first time. Starting Friday, a collection comprising more than 200 original sketches, etchings, and watercolor paintings will be on display in Delhi.

The selection has been curated by Christine Argillet, daughter of Pierre Argilleta French collector who was also Dals friend and publisher. “Dal was captivated by India,” Ms. Argillet told the BBC, particularly intrigued by Western fascination with Indian mysticism during the 1960s and 1970s.

Some of the sketches in this collection are inspired by photographs taken by her father on a trip to India in the 1970s, when young Americans were embarking on spiritual journeys there. Dals India features elephants and temples but, as with his typical surrealist works, these elements may not be easily recognizable. His art often includes human bodies sprouting flowers from their heads; eyeballs dancing amidst a matrix of squiggles and strokes; and dismembered body parts interactively engaging the surrounding environment.

Staring at Dals pieces for longer than a minute reveals that these disconnected shapes form new connections and meanings in one’s mind. “Appreciating Dal’s art is like peeling back layers of an onion,” Ms. Argillet says; each layer yields something new to marvel at.

Bruno Art Gallery/Road Show Company Bringing Dals work to India was a five-year project, as Akshitta Aggarwal of Bruno Art Group explains. “Every sketch and artwork had to be meticulously authenticated.” Strictly speaking, this isnt the first time that Dals creations have reached Indian soil.

The Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata city houses two color etchings by Dal. In 1967, he famously designed whimsical ashtrays for Air Indiathe country’s national airlinewhich were distributed to first-class passengers upon request. As payment, however, Dal demanded a baby elephant.

Uttara Parikh, then the deputy commercial director of Air India, recounted her search for an appropriate elephant in Mumbai city before ultimately procuring one from a zoo in Bangalore (now Bengaluru) and shipping it to Spain. The animal was subsequently kept at a local zoo until its death in 2018. Despite Dal’s grand plans for the elephantincluding taking a journey across the Alpshis wife eventually convinced him against proceeding.

Dals demand may seem outrageous, but those familiar with his legacy understand it as fitting his personality and artistic ethos. Born in Spain in 1904, Dal grew up amidst avant-garde movements responding to the aftermath of two world wars. Artists like Pablo Picasso, Joan Mir, and Andr Breton were shaping new directions in art during this period.

The artists outward persona reflected his vibrant take on life: flamboyant suits adorned with an iconic upward-pointing moustache that appeared poised to pierce his eyes. In a 1955 BBC interview, Dal described the origin of his famous moustache:

“Dates are fruits,” he explained, “and in the last moment of dinner, I did not clean my finger and put a little on my moustacheit remained there for all afternoon very efficiently.” He later admitted that he used strong wax to maintain its shape.

But Dal was also shy and intuitive, with an acute ability to read peoples minds. In his studio, he painted in short pants and slippers; according to Ms. Argillet, it was this shyness that made him over-perform when interacting with the public. “He was misunderstood by many,” she reflected.

“There were many layers to Daljust like his paintings.” The more closely one examines his art, the better one understands the multifaceted nature of both himself and his creations. Art India