By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian It’s great fun and a fascinating adventure studying and examining the wide and varied aspects of the life and work of this celebrated Catalan artist. This wild and wonderful genius, Salvador Dalí. There’s literally an endless supply of truths and myths, current news and historical morsels to discover, explore,…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Today I want to look at several Dalí paintings, and a photograph, that have their own special stories to tell, at least for this historian/blogger. One of them is a little naughty, so fair warning! OK, let’s get straight to the impish, at least as this beholder…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian We know how passionately Salvador Dalí revered the Old Masters. He advised fledgling artists to “begin by painting like the Renaissance masters; after that, do as you wish, you will always be respected.” Dalí knew that refining one’s technique and taking to heart Ingres’ belief that “drawing…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian The two photographs below have never been published anywhere before. They pertain to the original Salvador Dalí Museum established provisionally in a wing of an office building in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, way back in 1971. The one-room museum – which, due to zoning…
Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian I find discussions of Salvador Dalí’s “Sacrament of the Last Supper” fascinating – but often unpredictable. That’s because the work has the dubious distinction of being one of the most highly lauded and vigorously derided paintings of the modern era. I’m pretty sure no one is neutral about this…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian Fool me once, shame on you; fool me hundreds of times….and you may be describing a large chunk of Salvador Dalí paintings, drawings, prints and more. Take the master of the double-image, add in technical virtuosity worthy of the Old Masters, and you’ve got the recipe for…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian This photo of Salvador Dalí, taken at the Plaza Hotel in New York, reminds me of a charming true story told to me when I was being considered for the position of publicity director of the original Salvador Dalí Museum in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland (I…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian One Salvador Dalí painting I sense sort of flies under the radar some – a work I don’t believe leaps readily to mind when people think of the artist – is “Sistine Madonna,” a.k.a., “Madonna of the Ear.” So today’s a good time to take a brief…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian In Salvador Dalí’s rather famous appearance on the American TV game show, “What’s My Line?”, the celebrated artist was asked if he was a leading man. Dalí responded, “Yes,” to which the show’s host had to dial up a bit of corrective clarification. But when it came…
By Paul Chimera Salvador Dalí Historian There’s always so much to discover, rediscover, and just marvel at when the subject turns to Salvador Dalí. Whether we’re talking about his paintings, prints, drawings, watercolors, sculptures or other creative projects, there seems to be an endless supply of tasty morsels for us to consume with gusto….