The Exhibition at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands Unprecedented collection of Dali artworks hits the shores of Singapore
Come May 14, visitors to the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands will enter the surreal mind of Salvador Dal?, one of the 20th century’s best-known artists. Dal?: Mind of a Genius - The Exhibition will display over 250 Dal? artworks, making this the first time ever that such a large number of his masterpieces are shown within a single venue in Singapore.
Salvador Dal?, the most iconic figure of the surrealist movement, explored a wide range of artistic expressions ranging from paintings, sculptures, literature, cinema to decorative art, fashion, furniture, jewelry and last but not least advertising. Visitors to the exhibition will be immersed in three themed areas — Femininity and Sensuality, Religion and Mythology, Dreams and Fantasy — that will transfer them to a place where the conscious and subconscious mind become intertwined, with time becoming a soft, fluid medium.
“Femininity and Sensuality” features Dal? artworks depicting the female form and its sensuality. Important pieces include the sculpture of Women Aflame that unites two of Dal?’s obsessions: A female form with drawers set aflame. Other highlights include Space Venus and Anthropomorphic Cabinet.
“Religion and Mythology” reflects Dal?’s tempestuous and ambiguous relationship with the Church. Artworks found in this gallery include renowned sculptures such as the Snail and the Angel, Adam and Eve, and Vision of the Angel.
“Dreams and Fantasy” embodies Dal?’s enduring fascination with the subconscious mind as the true canvas for expression of personality. This comes into vivid focus through sculptural works such as Persistence of Memory and Dance of Time I. Other works that refer to a life lived through dreams and distorted visions of reality include the alluring Alice in Wonderland and Spellbound, a huge 11 meter by 5 meter visually spectacular 1945 painting borne from Dal?’s collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock.
In order to highlight the creativeness of Dal? across different mediums, the exhibition will also highlight bronze sculptures, rare graphics, furniture and gold jewelry. A dedicated space will showcase the collaboration between Dal? and Crystal Daum, the crystal maker. The use of glass offered Dal? the perfect medium for the expression of metamorphoses which communicated his surrealistic perception of reality. Pieces under this realm include the Venus with Drawers. An additional gallery will showcase gold objects designed by Dal? which include the Dal? tortoise charm and Dal? Flower. A dedicated space will showcase Dal?’s surrealistic transformations in furniture, displaying pieces such as the Mae West Lips Sofa, Vis-?-vis Sofa and Bracelli Lamp.
Mr. Tom Zaller, Director, ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands, said, “Dal?: Mind of a Genius showcases the best works of Salvador Dal? under one roof. Visitors to the exhibition will be transported into the eccentric mind of Dal?, and discover his version of reality and his interpretation of art. The ArtScience Museum explores Dal?’s inspiration and creative processes, and is the perfect venue for an exhibition showcasing the art of such a genius and his infinite innovations. Visitors will leave the exhibition spellbound and captivated, viewing the world from a whole new perspective.”
Mr. Benjamin Levi, President of the Stratton Foundation and curator of the exhibition, said, “Being an avid collector of Dal?’s work, I am very proud to be able to present Dal?’s genius to the world. By uniting the best of Dal? works, visitors to the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands will have a better appreciation of the man and his life, the way I knew him personally.”
Dal?: Mind of a Genius - The Exhibition will run from 14 May 2011 until 30 October 2011. The Stratton Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of culture and the arts. The Stratton Foundation created and manages The Dal? Universe Exhibition which is the only collection of its kind in the world, featuring the largest collection of Dal? sculpture, rare hand signed graphics illustrating the great themes of literature, and many other famous artworks. Dal?: Mind of a Genius — The Exhibition was derived from this collection.
Boasting an iconic lotus-inspired design, the world’s first ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands is poised to be the heart of the growing ArtScience movement. The ArtScience Museum is the premier venue for major international touring exhibitions from the most renowned collections in the world. Featuring 21 gallery spaces, totaling 50,000 square feet, the latest addition to Marina Bay Sands delivers an impressive array of exhibits that embrace a spectrum of influences from art and science, media and technology, to design and architecture.