Dali & Schiaparelli opened at The Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, FL, Wednesday, October 18, 2017. Running through January 14, 2018 Dali & Schiaparelli is the first exhibition dedicated to the creative relationship and masterpieces of Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali. The exhibit, presented in collaboration by The Dali Museum and Schiaparelli Paris, explores how each artist’s innovative approach both delighted and shocked the worlds of fashion and art. Sensuality and a daring beauty were trademarks of their collaborations. Dali & Schiaparelli will feature Haute Couture gowns and accessories, jewelry, paintings, drawings, objects and photos, as well as new designs by Maison Schiaparelli design director Bertrand Guyon.
Elsa Schiaparelli, regarded as the most prominent figure in fashion between the two World Wars, explored bold Surrealistic themes in her designs. She was heavily influenced by artists, particularly Dali, with whom she often collaborated. Schiaparelli’s designs were like Dali’s paintings in that they combined Renaissance precision with wild imagination and dreamlike visions. Many of Schiaparelli’s devotees were the glitterati of the time, notables like The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, heiress Millicent Rogers and actresses Mae West and Marlene Dietrich. Dali, celebrated as the best-known and most prolific Surrealist, was equally comfortable with celebrity – his own and others’ – and also acknowledged influences beyond his particular artistic milieu, citing politics, religion and science as impacting his aesthetic.
“We are honored to present this exhibition which highlights not only the bold collaborations of Salvador Dali and Elsa Schiaparelli, but conveys their kindred spirits and individual styles,” said Dr. Hank Hine, Dali Museum Executive Director and curator of this exhibit. Dali & Schiaparelli provides a look into their friendship and partnership – one of the first and most innovative in art and fashion. Visitors can expect to be both captivated and seduced by the groundbreaking works of this duo.”
Beyond the exhibition in the galleries, The Dali appreciates this celebration of fashion and art is an opportunity to recognize the relevance of style as a function of the universal need for personal expression, influencing self-perception as well as the impressions we make on others. A variety of corresponding events and programs will accompany the exhibition, including the popular monthly Coffee with a Curator lecture series; Artflix, the Museum’s themed movie series; activities for families in The Dali’s, free first-floor Stavros Education Room and more. Also in conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum has introduced specialty programming including:
- “Fashion Design at The Dali” for aspiring high school fashion design students: thedali.org/fashion
- An online educational program and fashion design contest featuring a grand prize trip to St. Petersburg, FL: thedali.org/challenge
- A unique partnership with Dress for Success of Tampa Bay to raise awareness of, and drive accessory donations for, women working toward thriving in work and life: thedali.org/success.
The Dali & Schiaparelli exhibition is accompanied by a catalog with essays by Dilys Blum, Curator of Costume and Textiles for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Dali Museum Curator of Exhibitions William Jeffett, Dali Museum Director Hank Hine, Director of Vogue Runway, Nicole Phelps, and exhibition consultant John William Barger III. Four variations of the catalog – including a deluxe boxed edition with a photogravure – are all available at The Dali Museum Store along with a wide variety of Dali- and Schiaparelli- inspired merchandise.
The exhibition is organized by The Dali, St. Petersburg, FL in collaboration with Schiaparelli Paris with loans from the Philadelphia Museum of Art; the Metropolitan Museum; the Collection of Mark Walsh & Leslie Chin, Luxury Vintage; and other private collections.
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| Woman’s Dinner Dress. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Mme Elsa Schiaparelli, 1969-232-52. | Aphrodisiac Telephone (Lobster Telephone). Salvador Dali, 1938. Worldwide rights ©Salvador Dali. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali (Artists Rights Society), 2017 / In the USA ©Salvador Dali Museum, Inc. St. Petersburg, FL 2017. | Schiaparelli telephone dial powder compact, c. 1935 Courtesy of © Schiaparelli archives. | Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dali, circa 1949. Image Rights of Salvador Dali reserved. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, Figueres, 2017. |
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| Anthropomorphic Cabinet. Salvador Dali, 1936. © Salvador Dali, Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2017. | Illustration of the Bureau-Drawer Suit, Schiaparelli Haute Couture, Fall/Winter 1936-1937. © Schiaparelli. | Woman’s Evening Dress and Veil, (Tear Dress), Summer 1938. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Mme Elsa Schiaparelli, 1969-232-45a,b. | Three Young Surrealist Women Holding in their Arms the Skins of an Orchestra, 1936, Oil on canvas. Worldwide rights ©Salvador Dali. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali (Artists Rights Society), 2017 / In the USA ©Salvador Dali Museum, Inc. St. Petersburg, FL 2017. |
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| Woman’s Evening Coat, Fall 1937 Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of Mme Elsa Schiaparelli, 1969-232-7. | Tristan and Isolde, 1953 4.2 cm x 4.5 cm x 1 cm ©Salvador Dali. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, (Artist Rights Society), 2017 / Collection of the Salvador Dali Museum, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL, 2017. | Evening Dress (Skeleton Dress), 1938 Collection of the Salvador Dali. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2017; Courtesy of © Schiaparelli archives. | Study of figures for Skeleton Dress, 1938. Ink on paper. Collection of the Schiaparelli archives, Paris; © Salvador Dali. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali (Artists Rights Society), 2017. |
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| “Le Roy Soleil” magazine advertisement. ©Salvador Dali. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2017/ Collection of the Salvador Dali Museum, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL, 2017. | “Le Roy Soleil” perfume bottle by Schiaparelli, 1946. ©Salvador Dali. Fundacio Gala-Salvador Dali, Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 2017; Courtesy of © Schiaparelli archives | Schiaparelli Haute Couture, Spring/Summer 2017 | Schiaparelli Haute Couture, Fall/Winter 2016-17 |
ABOUT THE DALI
The Dali Museum, located in the heart of beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to an unparalleled collection of Salvador Dali 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 Dali Museum is located at One Dali Boulevard, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701. For additional information contact 727-823-3767 or visit TheDali.org.
ABOUT SCHIAPARELLI
Schiaparelli is a French couture house located 21 Place Vendome in Paris, the very place where Elsa Schiaparelli had left it in 1954 when she decided to close it to write her autobiography Shocking Life.
Elsa Schiaparelli was the first designer to give a theme to her collections. She pioneered the fusion of art and fashion by collaborating with her artist friends such as Dali and Cocteau. She invented shocking pink, the zipper in Haute Couture, trompe l’oeil garments, culottes and the newspaper print. Throughout her entire life, she has been an independent strong woman and a daring creative force pushing boundaries, building bridges between worlds that were previously not linked and anticipating more than once what would become mainstream culture.
Today Schiaparelli’s unique spirit of Haute Couture merging art, innovation, craftsmanship, quality and audacity enters a new chapter of its story. Created in 1927 by Elsa Schiaparelli, the house of Schiaparelli celebrates its 90th anniversary this year.