The
exhibition is the largest
showcase of his work since the last retrospective at the Pompidou in
1979 (the most visited exhibition in the museum’s history to date).
Laid out in
chronological-thematic sections, the visitor enters through a large
white oval where an image of Dali in the fetal position inside an egg
is projected onto the wall (1941 photo taken by Philippe Halsman).
Other
installations include a reconstruction of “Mae West's Face Which
May be Used as an Apartment” with it's iconic lip shaped sofa,
which are also present inside the exhibitions' small theater where a
series of Dali's films are shown on rotation, including Un
Chien Andalou (1929).
The exhibition charts Dali's
artistic process beginning with some of his earliest self-portraits
in his hometown of Figueres, to surrealism and the development of his
paranoiac-critical method. The assortment of Dali fan favorites
including “The Persistence of Memory” (1931), “The Great
Masturbator” (1929) and “The Metamorphosis of Narcissus” (1937
) along with a number of mass media recognizable objects such as his
famed “Lobster Telephone” (1936) fill the walls of the
exhibition, providing for a truly incredible retrospective.
Having little familiarity with how grand the scope of his work is, the exhibition (in true retrospective character) devotes much space to Dali's themes and connections to politics and the media of his age. Often critiqued for his political views and communist associations, the exhibition showcases some his political fascinations including those paintings such as “Six apparitions of Lenin on a Piano” (1931) and “The Enigma of Hitler” (1939). Nearing the end of the exhibition, advertisements he starred in are played (which he received wide criticism and disapproval from his artistic community) including his 1968 appearance in a Lanvin Chocolate commercial.
Whether or not you are familiar
with the works of Dali or the Surrealist style, I full heartedly
recommend a visit to the Pompidou to check out this blockbuster of an
exhibition- there is something for everyone to enjoy!
**********
The
exhibition is open every day from 11:00- 21:00 at the Georges
Pompidou Centre except on Tuesdays. Exceptionally for the Dali
exhibition, it will be open at night
until 23h Fridays and Saturdays (last entry at 22h).
Metro
Rambuteau (Line 11)
Regular
Entry €
13
Reduced
Entry € 10
Post and Photos by Ellie Somers