Over 80 works of art by Salvador Dalí and Marcel Duchamp were on display at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. Nearly a century has passed after their first creations were born but they seem to be as entertaining and full of stories as they ever were. Perhaps even more… The exhibition called “Dalí/Duchamp” focused on the imagined conversation between the two artists, a kind of visual dialog. The interaction was not always backed up by facts but certainly always interesting and triggering viewers imagination.
Salvador Dalí was and still is one of the most famous surrealists in the world. Marcel Duchamp – one of the most important artists of the 20th century who not only created paintings, sculpture and films but also advised art collectors, this way influencing the general view and value of art from his period.
The two artists met in Paris in the 30s for the first time and their friendship lasted for years as Duchamp visited Dali at his hometown in Cadaques (Spain) once and started renting a summer house there ever since.
The exhibition “Dali/Duchamp” spoke about their communication but also included works that were crucial in their paths without being related to this friendship. You could see the famous Readymade “Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp, or a “Lobster Telephone” that Salvador Dali made for the English poet Edward James.
I personally enjoyed a lot all the projections with old video footage from artists lives and of course an amazing dream sequence by Salvador Dalí for “Spellbound”, a film by Alfred Hitchcock.
“Dalí/Duchamp” exhibition was on from October 2017 until January 2018
For more information Royal Academy of Arts, London.