The Dalí Universe is proud to collaborate with the Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art in St Petersburg for an exhibition opening in May 2018. Four monumental-sized sculptures will be on display, alongside 12 museum-sized bronze sculptures. Amongst the monumental sculptures chosen are the Nobility of Time, standing almost 5 meters tall; Dalí’s soft watch is draped over a languid tree trunk; this sculpture has been exhibited in locations such as London, Haifa, Andorra and Berlin. Other towering monumental sculptures chosen are Space Venus, St George and the Dragon and the Unicorn.
The twelve museum sculptures selected are representative of diverse themes and demonstrative of the surrealist iconography utilized by Dalí , from religious images in Adam and Eve, to touching the world of haute couture with Homage to Fashion. The Space Elephant echoes his 1946 painting ‘The Temptation of St Anthony,’ and with the Persistence of Memory sculpture, Dalí isolates the central image of his best-known 1931 painting, and gives it the same title.
It is the first time this collection of sixteen artworks will be on display in Russia. The Collection will remain in St Petersburg until the end of September. This extraordinary collection brings to light a previously unknown aspect of Dalí’s work, and highlights his incredibly versatility with sculpture as form.
The exhibited artworks form part of prestigious collection of Dalí artworks, assembled by Beniamino Levi, President of the Dalì Universe, an avid Dalí collector who worked with the artist during the 1960s. Beniamino Levi was fascinated by Dalí’s ability to utilize different mediums , he dedicated his entire life to collecting Dalí artworks, focusing on three-dimensional creations. He commissioned Dalí to create a series of bronzes based on the artists most famous iconographic images. In fact today’s Dalí Universe artwork collection is a result of years of endeavor by Beniamino Levi, who began collecting Dalí when he opened his gallery in Milan in 1955.
Beniamino Levi comments: ‘for me, It is an honor and a privilege to see part of the Collection displayed in such a prestigious location.’
