Apollo Magazine

Dalí: Disruption and Devotion

Surrealism’s most famous exponent had a profound respect for the Old Masters, according to this exhibition at the MFA Boston

The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (1952–54; detail) Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

In developing his unique brand of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí drew on the work of a number of Old Masters, including El Greco, Velázquez and Orazio Gentileschi. This exhibition at the MFA Boston, which marks the centenary of the birth of Surrealism, pairs works from its collection by these artists with some 30 of Dalí’s paintings and prints to show how his subversive approach was rooted in a profound respect for tradition and technical skill (6 July–1 December). The exhibition also includes works such as The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (1952–54), an intriguing reworking of Dalí’s earlier The Persistence of Memory (1931), one of the defining masterpieces of the 20th century. Find out more from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s website.

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Fast-moving Still Life (1956), Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: © Daniel Portnoy, 2023; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; © 2024 Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Artists Rights Society

The Ecumenical Council (1960), Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: © Doug Sperling and David Deranian, 2021; courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; © 2024 Salvador Dalí, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Artists Rights Society

The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory (1952–54) Salvador Dalí. Salvador Dalí Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida. Photo: courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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