On the occasion of the 120th anniversary of Salvador Dalí’s birth, the Museu Diocesà of Barcelona presents a self-produced exhibition that highlights the figure of this universal artist in relation to the city of Barcelona.
The exhibition is a journey through more than a hundred snapshots taken by local photojournalists, showcasing the spaces linked to the figure of Salvador Dalí, and covers the chronological period from his first exhibition in Barcelona (1922) until well into the 1970s, just before the first symptoms of the illnesses that limited his public appearances began to emerge. Dalí has no street or square named after him in Barcelona, as he is more often associated with Cadaqués, Figueres, as well as Paris and New York. However, his connection with Barcelona was intimate, intense, and persistent: his mother, Felipa Domènech, was from Barcelona; his father and uncle grew up there; and artistically, Barcelona was the artistic capital he needed to conquer before taking on Paris.
By recreating the layout of Barcelona, we invite you to explore the spaces in the city related to Dalí, such as l’Ateneu, the Ritz Hotel –now El Palace–, various restaurants, his relationship with flamenco, bullfighting, or football, his fascination with Gaudí, the friendships that developed in this context, as well as his exhibition activity in our city.
The snapshots by photographers such as Postius, Sáenz Guerrero, Carlos Pérez de Rozas, Brangulí, Sans Condeminas, Català Roca, González Albiach… are presented together with materials such as manuscripts and documents from various archives and public and private collections (Biblioteca de Catalunya, Fundació J. V. Foix, heirs of Isidor Beà…), posters, magazines, books, and original drawings by Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca. The exhibition does not end at the walls of the Museu Diocesà of Barcelona; at the end of the tour, visitors are offered a free and exclusive map with the Dalinian locations marked and explained, allowing them to explore the city and live a Dalinian experience.