Dalí, an admirer of historical architecture, often perceived such structures as dreamlike realms imbued with the energy of the past. This sentiment was evident in his acquisition and restoration of Púbol Castle, exclusively for Gala, and the transformation of the ancient Figueras theater ruins into his personal Teatro-Museo. Consequently, Rosa Perales Piqueres, curator of the current exhibition at Madrid’s Palacio de Gaviria, speculates that Dalí would likely have appreciated his art displayed within this beautifully restored building on Calle Arenal, a place reportedly once frequented by Queen Isabel II.
The “Dalí Infinito” (Dalí Infinite) project will feature a permanent collection of the artist’s sculptures, oil paintings, illustrations, engravings, and drawings, primarily sourced from the Clot collection. Many of these works are less familiar to the general public. The exhibition is designed with a rotating display of pieces over time and is supported by the Fundació Gala-Dalí.
The inaugural display presents fourteen sculptures, conceptualized by Dalí between 1973 and 1980 and later enlarged with his authorization. These are complemented by works on paper that highlight the immense breadth of his interests, spanning from science and religion to literature and, of course, Gala herself. Also included are photographs by Jacques Leonard, who sought to capture Dalí’s private essence, often contrasting with the artist’s inherent theatricality.
While sculpture was not Dalí’s most prolific medium, it served as another powerful channel through which he explored his distinctive visual obsessions across various formats. His inspirations included the volumetric figures of Millet’s The Angelus and the “dream-wake” method, which provided him with vivid imagery suitable for modeling.
Visitors will find his Prophet Saint John the Baptist and Icarus on the lower floor. Upstairs, the journey continues with the Head of a Laughing Horse, a motif Dalí frequently depicted in his paintings to symbolize strength, youth, and the psychological struggle between conscious and unconscious realms. This piece seems to emphasize the fantastical potential of the horse from Selene’s chariot on the Parthenon in Athens.
An expressive piece titled Woman Climbing a Staircase serves as a tribute to Marcel Duchamp, with whom Dalí shared summers in Cadaqués. Dalí’s rendition reverses the direction of movement compared to Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase, though its dynamism evokes artists like Boccioni or Max Ernst.
A deeply personal inspiration fueled La Crótalos, a piece that mimics the movements of a flamenco dancer of the same nickname. Dalí was a fervent admirer of flamenco, befriending many of its artists, a connection partly influenced by Federico García Lorca. The dance of Carmen, as the dancer was named, possesses an ancient quality, much like the festival itself.
Some sculptures on display echo themes previously explored in Dalí’s paintings. A prime example is his Christ of Saint John of the Cross, a figure Dalí considered the nucleus of the atom, representing the fundamental cell of matter and a universal element. In both its painted and sculptural forms, the artist sought to achieve the greatest possible beauty.
Among the exhibition’s highlights, especially notable for its location in one of the palace’s most distinguished 19th-century halls and its ethereal forms, is the Cosmic Elephant. For this piece, Dalí delved into the study of material resistance in outer space, envisioning one of the heaviest forms as a mass capable of weightlessness—a subtle conceptual experiment.
In the literary realm, the exhibition features illustrations for Dulcinea and The Soul of Don Quijote. Dalí likely identified to some extent with Don Quijote, appreciating his idealism and unwavering resolve in the face of adversity. Dulcinea can be interpreted as an aesthetic metaphor for Gala, while Dalí’s refined Quijote speaks to the fluid boundary between reason and delirium, a concept deeply personal to Dalí himself.
Illustration forms another significant pillar of this exhibition. Dalí embarked on this discipline at a young age, even during high school, gradually elevating his illustrative works to greater levels of spirituality and symbolism.
Noteworthy series include Tricornio, born from his collaboration with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes on stage designs and costumes for Falla’s folk-inspired works. Also prominent are his compositions illustrating Dante’s Purgatory and Paradise, with the Purgatory series heavily influenced by his paranoiac-critical method. In this initial section, guardian angels serve as reminders of potential redemption in the face of each sin. In the Paradise section, Dalí extends this redemption to himself, aligning with Alighieri through mysticism and fostering a coexistence of the dreamlike and the atomic, embodying his phrase: “Everything influences me, nothing changes me.” These works were commissioned by the Italian government to commemorate the Holy Year of 1950.
Dalí also created illustrations for Don Quijote, a character André Breton famously called “the most surrealist.” He drew inspiration from Velázquez and El Greco in stylizing figures, emphasizing the dichotomy between body and spirit, and distorting landscapes. Dalí’s artistic interpretations, much like his own personality, were always subject to controlled metamorphosis.
