Dalí Museum in St. Pete, Florida, explores the friendship between two artists who shaped the imaginations of our era.
Those enjoying home winter sun in Florida in early 2016 will be able to treat the child within with The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg to host Disney and Dalí: Architects of the Imagination, a multimedia exhibition that explores the unlikely friendship and professional alliance between Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí.
The exhibition will be on display from late January until the end of June thanks to a partnership with The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Tourism officials expect it to be a considerable draw card for those considering a visit to the sun-drenched region early next year.
“Bringing two icons together like Dali and Disney makes perfect sense for the St. Pete/Clearwater area,” said David Downing, Executive Director at Visit St. Pete/Clearwater. “This first-ever pairing of two of the 20th century’s most creative minds celebrates both our world-class arts destination and our proximity to one of the world’s most popular vacation destinations.”
Guest-curated by filmmaker Ted Nicolaou, the immersive exhibition explores the largely unknown relationship between the brilliantly eccentric Spanish surrealist and American entertainment innovator. The multimedia wonderland includes original paintings, story sketches, conceptual artwork, objects, correspondences, archival film, photographs, and audio – many of which highlight work from Disney studio artists. Collectively it presents two vastly different icons and their enduring friendship that began with their collaboration on the animated short Destino that was unfortunately never finished during their lifetimes.
Born three years and half a world apart, Disney and Dalí were both small town boys on a never-ending quest to broaden the horizons of art, blurring the lines between reality and dreams. Both ahead of their time, their influence continues to reverberate around us today in films, stage, advertising and art thanks to their ingenious self-promotion, dedication and singular artistic vision. The mutual admiration and enduring friendship between the two is evident in hand-written letters that are included in the exhibition alongside filmed dramatisations and audio re-creations.
“Disney and Dalí heralds a new era in art exhibitions,” said Dalí Museum Executive Director, Hank Hine. “Visitors can expect a multi-sensory environment of moving image, soundscapes, and the transformative aura of exquisite individual paintings. Disney and Dalí broke new ground as artists—the Walt Disney Family Museum and The Dalí will deliver a brave new world of experience.”
Disney and Dalí: Architects of the Imagination is co-organized by The Walt Disney Family Museum and The Dalí Museum, with the collaboration of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation in Figueres, Spain, and The Walt Disney Studios.
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Notes to editors:
About the curator
Writer-director Ted Nicolaou studied filmmaking at the University of Texas before moving to Los Angeles as a film editor, writing and directing independent, fantasy films. For the past 15 years, he has created innovative DVD and Blu-ray bonus documentaries for Walt Disney Home Entertainment, special features for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and the feature-length documentary Dalí & Disney: A Date with Destino, for the re-release of Fantasia/Fantasia 2000, about the unlikely friendship and collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dalí. Disney and Dalí: Architects of the Imagination is the first exhibition Nicolaou has curated.
About The Dalí Museum
The Dalí Museum, located in the heart of beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to an unparalleled collection of Salvador Dalí art, featuring more than 2,000 works comprising nearly 100 oil paintings; over 100 watercolors and drawings; and 1,300 prints, photographs, sculptures and objets d’art. The building is itself a work of art, featuring 1,062 triangular-shaped glass panels—the only structure of its kind in North America. Nicknamed The Enigma, it provides an unprecedented view of St. Petersburg’s picturesque waterfront. The Museum has attracted the world’s attention, and among the other distinguished awards it has received, it was listed by AOL Travel News as “one of the top buildings to see in your lifetime.” The Dalí Museum is located at One Dalí Boulevard, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. For additional information contact 727.823.3767 or visit TheDali.org.
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Visit St. Pete/Clearwater
Visit St. Pete/Clearwater (VSPC) is the official destination marketing organization of Pinellas County in Florida and covers 26 municipalities in the area.
The region is located on a beautiful peninsula on Florida’s west coast, bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and Tampa Bay to the east.
Just 30 minutes away from Busch Gardens and 90 minutes away from Walt Disney World, the area offers 35 miles of white-sand beaches and uniquely colourful communities to explore.
The destination is renowned for sunshine and currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest run of sunshine days, a massive 768.
Also home to the largest collection of Dali artwork outside of Spain, the county has culture, wildlife and beautiful beaches with a semi-tropical climate making it the perfect holiday destination for families, couples and singles.
For more information: www.visitstpeteclearwater.com, www.facebook.com/VisitStPeteClearwaterUK, www.twitter.com/vspc
