How big a phantasmagoric universe?
Espace Dali a Montmartre has more than 300 original works by Salvador
Dali.
We hadn’t intended to spend time at this attraction, because we visit Florida
often and expect to see the largest collection in the world of Dali’s works in St.
Petersburg. We toyed with the notion of finding another artist we couldn’t study at home. "2004, centennial of the birth of Salvador
Dali," a sign announced--sounded like a good year to see both!
"Hell-o, Dali!"
Walking downstairs into the dimly-lit subterranean space, I hadn’t thought about how exciting Dali’s work would be in the
underworld. His masterpieces are not only protected here from damaging sun, but also showcased brilliantly with spotlights. Golden sculptures are combined with wall displays in every room, so the affect is,
indeed, a phantasmagoric universe, animated throughout with mythical beasts, all distinctively twentieth-century. Nobody who hasn't seen a number of his works together can possibly imagine what an influence
he has had, how strangely "real" his really strange works! Students of literature,
art, religion or anthropology must be surprised by how thoroughly Dali has depicted the
archetypal patterns of our culture and how much we take his versions for granted!
Our Dali-beast pets.
In the exhibit rooms, I started to believe that Space Elephants really do
have gangly legs and an obelisk on their backs--don’t we pursue technology as a
monolith? Aren’t we, the beasts, burdened with it? The horse really did help
Saint George slay the dragon by holding the wings between his legs--wouldn’t a horse do
that? And, I’m sure good always defeats evil! No doubt, I was surrealistic Alice
in Wonderland with no need for the crutch of reality. The "art" was beginning to
disappear, and Dali was simply the chronicler of our epoch, James Joyce of the
graphic set.
Time flies, too!
Two walls display Dali’s Biblical works, and we studied them--so many, they take a
while.
Sculptures become more numerous, more delightful deeper into the museum.
Information in English is on each display--not just identification, but analysis and
interpretation, page after page. Dali’s own comments about Freud and Nietzsche
fill a few pages, and commentary about his surrealistic symbols fill many. We spent 1.5
hours studying the art and reading explanations of ancient myths and Dali's updates of
them. His unicorns, views of femininity, godhead (including himself) are all
examined in detail, as well as his "take" on intuition, behavior, genetics, etc. All the
symbols of his surrealistic universe are explained. I snapped some photos of the explanations so
that I could read them at home.
Emerging into the real real world.
We looked at items for sale in the Dali shop. All sculptures in miniature and many
limited-edition prints are available (pricey). Back out on the butte, we enjoyed Paris through the trees before continuing our walk.
