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Dali Universe
Dali Universe
County Hall Gallery, Riverside Building,
County Hall, London SE1 7PB.
Tel: 020 7930 6961
About Dali Universe
Dali Universe is based in the imposing County Hall Gallery at London’s South Bank, with a great waterside vista to the Palace Of Westminster, not far from the London Eye. The one-time Greater London Council HQ now boasts a world-renowned family attraction of mind-boggling dimensions. Celebrating the life, flamboyant times and even more surreal work of pioneering Catalonian artist and self-publicist Salvador Dali, the Hall houses three extensive galleries, with Dali Universe its integral and pulsating core.
Providing a super family day out, the maze of galleries at Dali Universe extend over 3000 square metres (32,000 square feet) and hold more than 600 artworks by the magnificently moustachioed artistic genius, among them pieces of his graphics, jewellery, furniture, glass, drawings and no fewer than 100 watercolours. Besides all that, Dali Universe even outshines the St. Petersburg gallery of Florida by having the planet's most comprehensive showcase of anthropomorphic Dalí sculptures, not least his classic bronze series from the 1930s.
The entrance lobby at Dali Universe has a biographical run-down about the prophet of art and his testimony as told from the 1910s to his permanent exit into the surreal universe in 1989. Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, 1st Marquis of Púbol, was one of the foremost artists of the 20th century and influential through all manner of media. Dali Universe fixes his position in the context of the evolution of the modern art movement, thanks to key works like The Persistence of Memory, Les bruixes de Llers, Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus), Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second Before Awakening, La Gare de Perpignan, The Great Masturbator, The Metamorphosis of Narcissus and Hallucinogenic Toreador, not to mention his collaboration with Walt Disney on the Academy Award-nominated short animated feature, Destino, aired posthumously in 2003, and his work with Alfred Hitchcock on Spellbound, which is spotlighted at Dali Universe, along with his Mae West sofa.
Dali Universe’s displays are laid out in a series of spot-lit, black-painted zones. Curated by Beniamino Levi, who worked with Dalí on his sculptures, a ticket to Dali Universe gives the holder a chance to explore three amazing themed areas, with work mainly dating from the 1960s to 1980s, but taking in 1935-84.
Sensuality And Femininity features the renowned crimson satin Mae West Lips Sofa, the Buste De Femme Retrospectif, and graphics portfolios utilising classic literary themes, notably 10 lithographs from Romeo And Juliet, 12 erotic images of Casanova, and 15 engravings from the Ovid-derived The Art Of Love.
Religion And Mythology take in St. George and the Dragon, as well as illustrations from The Bible and Dante's Divine Comedy. They sit alongside 100 graphics and provide a quite heavenly sight!
Lastly, Dreams And Fantasy comprises sculptures such as Persistence Of Memory and Profile Of Time, Dali’s surreal visions, which are accompanied by Life Is A Dream and the related Alice In Wonderland.
Standouts that ticket holders to Dali Universe can enjoy all year round are 124 drawings penned for the 1942 autobiography, La Vie Secrete (The Secret Life); the massive canvas design for Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound film; the Lobster Telephone; and the 20-foot long-limbed Space Elephant and melting watch, Nobility Of Time, which stand on the riverside walkway outside the magnificent Hall. Not many other family attractions can bring traffic to a standstill!
Established in 2000, Dalí Universe has furnished a fine family day out to more 250,000 people each year, a ticket additionally granting the chance to buy more than 300 works of art by Dali, Picasso and Marc Chagall, each with their own certificate of authenticity. Few family attractions can offer a future heirloom on a family day out – just the ticket for art buffs!
Further, school parties receive Dalí Universe educational worksheets, and each ticket holder can undertake a tour and listen to a talks about Dali’s own universe, learning about his central themes and the symbolism that he employed. Dalí Universe ticket holders can pre-book a children's audio-guide with interactive quiz, adding an educational aspect to an enjoyable family day out. The Dali Shop has posters, prints, postcards, desk toys, accessories, T-Shirts and books, notably Levi’s Dalí Universe Exhibition Catalogue, and La Divine Comédie: Illustrations de Dalí.
Dali Universe can be booked for corporate events, cocktail parties, catwalk shows and fine art sales via Dalí Events, with LCD projectors, lighting and a sound system included. However, it’s the displays at Dalí Universe that speak for themselves, providing a family day out like no other, while ticket holders additionally have access to the Modern Masters Rooms of the County Hall.
Dali Universe’s lower-level is utilised for screenings, seminars, dinners and evening dances, while the White Space of three rooms has original art on its walls. Among these are an exclusive collection of more than 100 works by Spanish cubist Pablo Picasso, making a family day out to Dali Universe even more impressive.
The Picasso display features examples of his ceramics, tapestries, lithographs, etchings and photos, including Un Eventail, Helene Chez Archimede, Les Bleus de Barcelona and Dans L'Atelier de Picasso, plus an outstanding collection of pots, vases and vessels.
An exclusive exhibition of work by surrealist Nasser Azam features more than 100 paintings and sculptures too.
Dali Universe is heritage-listed, so wheelchair and ramp access is limited, but the gallery is accessible via the South Bank County Hall Gallery and a wheelchair can be loaned. Disabled toilets and audio loop guides are available too, making Dali Universe is a top family day out that everyone can enjoy.