Dalí art exhibition: Rare Salvador Dalí artworks come to India for first time

Born in Spain in 1904, Dalí grew up in a world that was embracing the avant-garde and responding to the fallout of two world wars. Creatives of his time, like Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and André Breton, were finding new ways to express themselves and their ideas and their artistic styles heavily influenced a young Dalí.

The surrealist movement, widely acknowledged to be founded by André Breton, resonated with him the most. Surrealist art advocated for a form of expression that was “dictated by thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason”, according to Breton.

Dalí was also heavily inspired by Sigmund Freud and his theories around psychoanalysis – a method of treating mental illnesses by focussing on conflicts originating in a person’s psyche. Dreams take on a special importance as they are believed to express a person’s repressed thoughts and urges.

Consequently, Dalí’s art reflects many of these ideas – they have an almost dream-like quality and through free association, the visuals take on meanings that are unique to the onlooker. There is also visceral, almost shocking imagery, much like forbidden desires lying hidden in the subconscious mind.

“Dalí was a free-thinker and he embraced all facets of the human condition, particularly the taboo and unsettling ones,” Ms Argillet says.