Dec 2014, Dali and Beaverbrook discussion

Winnipeg Art Gallery

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014 - JANUARY 31, 2015

Stephen Borys, Director and CEO of the WAG, and Andrew Kear, Associate Curator of Canadian Historical Art discuss the landmark Dalí and Beaverbrook shows at the Gallery.

Dalí Up Close presents paintings, watercolours, drawings, jewellery, and sculpture by Surrealist master Salvador Dalí, as well as the celebrated photographs produced with Philippe Halsman, for the first time in Winnipeg. In addition to being iconic themselves, these photographs underscore Dalí's savvy management of self-image, and anticipate both Pop and contemporary Performance art. Halsman photographed some of the most recognizable figures of the mid-20th century, with 101 Life magazine covers to his credit. He met Dalí in 1941, and their fruitful collaboration lasted 37 years. Dalí Up Close will expose you to that broad side of Dalí who worked ceaselessly, while crafting a fantastic and memorable public persona.

Masterworks from the Beaverbrook Art Gallery is an uncompromising selection of international paintings by such artists as Gainsborough, Turner, Sargent, Carr, Thomson, Freud, and more. A highlight is Salvador Dalí's monumental Santiago El Grande. Commemorating the Beaverbrook's 50th anniversary, this show features the Gallery's founder William Maxwell Aitken (Lord Beaverbrook) and the artists he collected and cultivated, who in turn influenced the passion he had for collecting. Lord Beaverbrook was an international media baron born in Canada. Not only is this exhibition an opportunity to experience an exceptional collection of paintings, but also works assembled by a major historical figure.