With melted clocks and a sofa shaped like lips, the Philadelphia Museum of Art's exhibition featuring the work of Salvador Dali proves the obscure can be the norm.
The exhibit is part of a worldwide event celebrating the Dali Centennial, which marks what would be the artist's 100th birthday. It features more than 200 of his pieces, including paintings, drawings and sculptures, and is running at the museum through May 15.
The works are displayed in chronological order. It begins with Dali's realistic paintings as an art student at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid in the 1920s and ends with his series holograms from the early 1970s.
The exhibit features some of Dali's best-known surrealist paintings. In these works, Dali expressed his personal obsessions and sexual anxieties by using a variety of bright colors and obscure objects.
Although many of his pieces reflect his personal life, Dali also painted images of the Spanish Civil War and World War II.
One of these paintings, Enigma of Hitler, instantly catches the attention of visitors. Through the image of a telephone receiver dripping tears of blood over a bowl, Dali conveyed his belief that Hitler was capable of causing great destruction.
While Enigma of Hitler and the rest of Dali's pieces are undoubtedly visually impressive, their meaning can easily bewilder art afficionados and novices alike. To help the wayward viewer, museum officials provide an audio tour including history and explanation of many of the works.
"I'm glad I [used the audio tour] because I would have had no idea what I was looking at," College freshman Liz Katz said.
Although she does not usually enjoy surrealist art, "I was able to appreciate his genius," she said.
Many other Penn students will have the chance to see the exhibition for free this Sunday through the Art Gallery branch of the Social Planning and Events Committee.
"We have a budget for SPEC Art Gallery every year," SPEC Art Gallery co-Director Tina Huang said. "We decided to spend the majority of our budget buying tickets."
More than 400 students entered a lottery to obtain tickets to see the show.
Huang said that SPEC Art Gallery anticipated the popularity of the event among Penn students. Dali has a "widespread reputation" Huang said. "He is a household name."
"This exhibition will provide a splendid opportunity for scholars, artists and visitors to encounter a complete and complex picture of the artist's [work]," Director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Anne d'Harnoncourt said in a statement.
