Fairy tales are stories that we all have some connection to, growing up reading about magical creatures and imaginary lands.
Imagery of fairy tales can be dark and gruesome, while emanating astonishing beauty. The fairy tale exhibition includes Dalí’s renditions of fictions including Hans Christian Andersen tales, Alice in Wonderland, and Japanese fairy tales.
Dutch author Hans Christian Andersen (1805 – 1875) is renowned for publishing more than 150 literary fairy tales. In 1966 Salvador Dalí created 10 illustrations to celebrate some of the tales. This exhibition displays all 10 artworks and includes stories such as The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid, both tales published during the 1800s.
In 1969 Salvador Dalí was commissioned to illustrate a limited edition of the classic 1865 English novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (commonly referred to as Alice in Wonderland). Written by Lewis Carroll, the renowned fairy tale tells the story of a young girl named Alice that follows a white rabbit before falling down a rabbit hole into a wondrous, imaginary land. The story depicts many fantastical creatures and Dalí’s artistic style was well suited to illuminate them.
The Dalí Japanese fairy tales suite was published by Gerschmann, Stockholm/Yayoi, Tokyo, Japan in 1976. Each artwork portrays a different story, famous in Asia, dating back to the early 1900s. The colours used are exquisite, mostly pastel and not as bright as many of Dalí’s other artworks, making them unique.
Salvador Dalí’s fairy tale prints made from original gouache paintings, are on display on the ground floor of dAda mUse from April 2023.