This week the Dalí Universe announces the opening of the exhibition “Salvador Dalí a Siena, da Galileo Galilei al Surrealismo” (“Salvador Dalí in Siena, from Galileo Galilei to Surrealism”) in the city of Siena.
The Renaissance surroundings of Palazzo Piccolomini delle Papesse, located in the medieval fabric of via di Città, reopens its doors after 12 years and resumes its role of spreading cultural awareness on the occasion of the opening of the exhibition dedicated to the Master of Surrealism.
The heart of the exhibition curated by Beniamino Levi, President of the Dalí Universe, will concern the bronze works designed by Salvador Dalí and will offer the public the opportunity of coming to terms with the less famous aspects of the Catalan artist’s production.
Approximately one hundred and twenty authentic Salvador Dalí works, including sculptures of different sizes, illustrations, glass works and furniture belonging to the Dalí Universe collection, will be exhibited starting from Saturday 19 September at the prestigious Palazzo delle Papesse, built in 1460, by the will of Pope Pius II’s sister, Caterina Piccolomini.
The exhibition will reveal to the public the relationship between Salvador Dalí and science through his artistic production. Dalí’s interest in science started at a very young age: he read scientific articles, he collected books that dealt with a wide range of subjects and followed the new discoveries with great enthusiasm. His was more than mere curiosity, the Catalan artist applied the ideas and the theories of mathematicians, geneticists, opticists and many other scholars to his art.
Particular attention was dedicated to presenting the graphics of the series Medicine and Science and Quinze gravures in relation to the subject of the exhibition and to the bond that the Palazzo delle Papesse had with Galileo Galilei who, in 1633, spent some months there and made some observations of the moon from the altana (terrace) of the palazzo, located on the roof of the building.
In the illustrations Medicine and Science, Dalí celebrates eight luminaries of science who have changed the world thanks to their discoveries, adding his surrealist vision.
In the graphics of the series Quinze gravures, Dalí represents some icons of the history of art. In Mercurio, the Catalan artist illustrates the messenger of the Gods while holding the Caduceus, today’s symbol of medicine, with two serpents entwined around the winged staff. In the graphic there is a “double image”, a homage to Crick and Watson and their discovery of the “secret of life”: the double helix of DNA, an icon that Dalí illustrated in many works.
The exhibition is curated by the Dalí Universe, a company with one of the biggest private collections of the artist’s works of art in the world, presided over by Beniamino Levi, with the support of Phantasya for the stand design and construction and the multimedia content.
“Of all the exponents of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí was the only one to fully incarnate and live its fundamental principles” asserts Beniamino Levi. “The itinerary that we have organised inside the Palazzo delle Papesse of Siena will reveal to the public the works of Dalí the sculptor, Dalí the illustrator, Dalí the designer and Dalí the mathematician, with the aim of raising awareness of and appreciating the versatility of the Master of Surrealism”.
“We are extremely honoured to present the Collection Dalí Universe in Siena inside the splendid surroundings of the Palazzo delle Papesse”, announces Beniamino Levi, “the exhibition - Salvador Dalí in Siena, from Galileo Galilei to Surrealism - will mark the beginning of a new life for the Piccolomini, it will offer the public the opportunity of returning to visit its splendid architecture and reliving the beauty of the city of Siena by admiring the works of Salvador Dalí”.
The opening of the exhibition “Salvador Dalí a Siena, da Galileo Galilei al Surrealismo” will be preceded by the press conference, scheduled for Thursday 17 September 2020 at 12.00pm and the inauguration, fixed for Friday 18 September 2020.
