Dalí’s Divine Comedy

Known for his imaginative dreamscapes filled with irrational juxtapositions and erotic subjects, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí’s (1904-1989) reputation as an illustrator is a story that often goes untold. 

This focus installation showcases Dalí’s most ambitious illustrated series: his colored wood engravings of the Divine Comedy, an epic poem by the medieval Florentine writer Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). Written in 1320, this timeless text recounts Dante’s journey through the Christian otherworldly realms: Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise.​

Dalí’s Divine Comedy displays selected prints from this series that highlight the artist’s distinctive Surrealist interpretation of each realm and how his images interact with Dante’s text.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website