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Dean Gallery

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Tavia
Tavia
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5 out of 5
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1
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Dean Gallery (The)

  • December 26, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Tavia from New York, New York
Dean Gallery (The)

This is surely one of the coolest galleries I've ever been in during all my travels. I will call it a jewel box of a museum. It reminded me most of the Frick Gallery in Manhattan in that it is a highly considered and carefully crafted collection, put together within its building for a total effect.

While the Frick specializes in traditional Old Masters' art, the Dean specializes in surrealist, and to a lesser extent, modernist art. To support this eclectic collection, the gallery's walls are painted vibrant hues of blue, red, orange, and purple. Wow! The second I walked in, I felt at home. Now here's a museum where I won't get in trouble for talking!

Apparently the main benefactors of the gallery were enormous collectors of surrealist art and maintained the most extensive library of writing on surrealist theory and practice. This library is reproduced within the gallery and it is a marvel. Not only are books and pamphlets by Dali and Magritte and others on display, but there are "cabinets of wonder," which feature sculptures of dismembered hands and feet, examples of taxidermy (a platypus!), and other such oddities. All together, the total effect is perfect and complete. It makes you smile at the whimsy, but also makes you shiver at the places these artists' imaginations could go.

One of the most memorable pieces is a large sculpture that takes up the entire foyer, which has a vaulted ceiling, so this sculpture is two stories high! It's by Eduardo Paolozzi and is a massive rendering of Vulcan.

While we were there, a special exhibition of the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson were on display on the second floor. They were a sobering counterpart to the surreal art on the ground floor. It showed his photographs taken over the course of his career from throughout the world. For exhibitions that may correspond to your visit, you can visit http://www.natgalscot.ac.uk/.

Also worthy of a visit are the sculptures on the grounds of the museum, as well as the Water of Leith walkway, which you can access from the Dean Gallery's property.

While fans of more traditional art my be put off by this wacky collection, I'd recommend this gallery to anyone, since it has such strong personality!

From journal Searching for Braveheart

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