ASTANA — The HAS SANAT Art Gallery in the Kazakh capital hosts the “Salvador Dali: The Secret Writing” exhibition from Aug. 30 to Sept. 29. The exhibition showcases 61 original works by the renowned surrealist.
Photo credit: Lumiere-Hall
Dali, known for his eccentric persona and ability to blur the lines between reality and fantasy, is celebrated for transforming his life into a legend. This exhibition allows visitors to decode Dali’s secret messages, explore his inner voice, and differentiate between illusion and reality.
Polina Egarmin, co-founder of the Lumiere-Hall Museum, noted that this year marks the 100th anniversary of surrealism, the avant-garde movement in visual arts, and the 120th anniversary of Dali’s birth.
Polina Egarmin, co-founder of the Lumiere-Hall Museum. Photo credit: The Astana Times
“We believed it was important for Kazakhstan to participate in this global celebration. We waited a year for these remarkable works to arrive. The exhibition features 61 lithographs and woodcuts by Salvador Dali, representing his rare printed heritage,” Egarmin told The Astana Times.
The collection, assembled from private collectors and galleries in Europe and America, features lithographs from the series “Carmen,” “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” “Dalinian Horses,” and 20 illustrations for Pedro de Alarcon’s “The Three-Cornered Hat,” created using the woodcut technique. The exhibition is highlighted by the triptych “Trilogy of Love,” a prized piece for collectors worldwide.
Egarmin emphasized the “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” series, where Dali illustrated Lewis Carroll’s classic tale in his distinctive surrealistic style.
“It is interesting that Alice does not appear in these works. Dali aimed to capture the essence of the story through the mood of Carroll’s writing. While many artists have illustrated this tale, Dali’s approach is uniquely surrealistic,” she said in an interview with Kazinform news agency.
Egarmin also drew attention to the “Trilogy of Love,” dedicated to Dali’s wife Gala.
“This work highlights Gala’s mystical and extraordinary nature. She had a passion for tarot cards, divination, and astrology. Dali encoded a message in this triptych, reflecting his feelings for her through the descriptions of tarot cards,” she said.
She concluded by emphasizing Dali’s significance as an artist.
“Dali and Picasso were both highly successful and sought after during their lifetimes. They turned to print graphics to make their art more accessible at a reasonable price. Dali was perhaps the first artist to attempt making art less elitist, which is also significant,” she added.
