Works from Salvador Dali, one of the world’s greatest artists in the past 100 years, will be on display in Fayetteville, N.C. It’s the only city in the Southeast chosen to host the national touring exhibition this year.
The show, “Dali Illustrates Dante’s The Divine Comedy,” will be held through Feb. 28 at the Festival Park Plaza Building in downtown Fayetteville.
The exhibit combines two art forms – poetry and painting.
It pulls together two time periods – the 1300s and the 1950s.
And it will be shown in a city known for being home to military people who have traveled worldwide, some of whom have already seen Dali’s works.
It all started with Dante Alighieri who penned “The Divine Comedy.” He was an Italian poet who wrote his concept of life after death, and the imaginary trek the human soul travels through hell, purgatory and heaven.
Deep stuff.
He wrote during the time of the Great European Famine, the Hundred Years War, and the bubonic plague. It wasn’t a pretty time in world history. Death was often a topic of discussion.
So Dante’s poem was timely.
Fast forward to the 1950s.
To commemorate the 700th anniversary of the poem, the Italian government commissioned Dali to illustrate it. After a few years, he had completed 100 illustrations representing each of the verses.
It is those 100 illustrations that the public will see at the Fayetteville show. Exhibition labels will be in English and Spanish.
But who was Dali?
Born in 1904 in Spain, Dali was a renegade of sorts who bucked conventional art styles. He was kicked out of French and Spanish art schools for a number of reasons, and was highly influenced by Impressionism, Surrealism, Cubism, and Futurism.
By the age of 40, he had gained recognition for his work in Europe and the United States. He had designed the Dream of Venus pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York and costumes and sets for ballets performed at The Metropolitan Opera House and the International Theatre in New York.
His resume included working with Alfred Hitchcock on the film, Spellbound; Walt Disney on the film, Destino; and, Doubleday Publishing Company to illustrate Shakespeare’s Macbeth.
Dali’s work was influenced by the dropping of the atomic bomb. The religious and nuclear fusion elements can be seen in his illustrations of Dante’s poem.
In 1964, Dali was awarded the Gran Cruz de Isabel la Católica, the highest Spanish distinction. The following year, The Gallery of Modern Art in New York launched the Salvador Dali 1910-1965 exhibition.
Dali died in Spain in 1989. His legacy of writings, jewelry and painting masterpieces is displayed in museums and galleries worldwide.
The Fayetteville Museum of Art is exhibiting the show at the Festival Park Plaza Building at 225 Ray Avenue.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $6 for students 6 and older and free for those 5 and younger. Groups with 20 members should call the museum at 910-485-5121 in advance of their visit to register for reduced rates. Hours are Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday: 1-4 p.m.
For more information, log onto http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com/exhibits or call 888-98-HEROES (43763).
Monday, February 15, 2010
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