Salvador Dali Exhibit at Atlanta's High Museum of Art

Going to the High Museum of Art is a priority of mine for every visit I make to Atlanta, especially when a particularly good exhibit is being presented. The Salvador Dali exhibit is going on for just a few more weeks, so I made it just in the nick of time.

The Atlanta High Museum

I didn’t know a lot about Dali, except that I have always been drawn to his bizarre and imaginative artwork. Back in November, I stumbled onto the free Dali exhibit, still on display, in the Time Warner Building. So, today was a continuation of my ‘Dali education.’

What is unique about this exhibit is it’s emphasis on Dali’s later works, post 1940. During this time, Dali abandoned Surrealism. As a result, he was expelled from the Surrealist Group, and began to remodel himself as a ‘classic’ painter. He took an interest in physics and religion, combining the two concepts in his artwork. “Nuclear Mysticism” represented Dali’s belief in physics as a means to prove the existence of God. Much of this later work was highly criticised for being “repetitive” and “commercial.”

I have always loved the architecture of this building

I found myself intrigued by the character of Dali. To me, he seems like an original, a true artistic rebel who didn’t want to be pigeon-holed into any one genre of art. Though he is no longer with us, I wish I could have drinks with this quirky character and his iconic mustache. On many levels, I relate to his desire to form his own artistic path and defy those who try to tell him differently.

Jeff Koons's sculpture "Mustache," a tribute to Salvador Dali

My newly found intrigue led me to purchasing his autobiography in the museum’s gift shop.