Midnight in Paris: Surrealism at the Crossroads, 1929, opening this weekend at The Dalí Museum, is accompanied by a host of dynamic programs
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Paris, a timeless city both intellectual and sensuous, was vibrating with the spirit of liberation in 1929. Among those pulsing with the energy and excitement of the era were groundbreaking artists, galvanized to forge vital new creative paths with cultural and political meaning. Midnight in Paris: Surrealism at the Crossroads, 1929, profiles the work, friendship and clashes of more than 20 avant-garde artists of the era, from the painters Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, to sculptors Hans Arp and Alexander Calder, to filmmakers Germaine Dulac and Luis Buñuel. Man Ray, the great American artist, and perhaps the first paparazzo, made splendid photo portraits of these and other Surrealists, turning them into international celebrities.
“The year 1929 in Paris was one of those rare moments when the artists of the time knew they were reshaping the world,” said Dr. Hank Hine, executive director of The Dalí. “Are we in such a time again? The Dalí Museum invites you to consider this, and to discover the provocative conversations, dreams and friendships among a deeply experimental and influential group of artists who called Paris their creative home.”
Designed as an inspiring stroll through the streets of Paris, the exhibition evokes concepts of Dream, Desire, Freedom, Love and Revolution, asking visitors to consider some of the thought-provoking questions at the heart of the Surrealist enterprise: Is art obsolete? Are dreams or reality more important to portray? Would painting survive the new experiments with photography, film and collage?
Among the highlights of Midnight in Paris are the vivid films of four surrealists, Germaine Dulac, Luis Bunuel, Man Ray and Gerhard Richter. The Museum has installed a period theater in the galleries to project its new film shot in St. Petersburg imagining an emotional conversation between Gala Dalí, Dalí’s wife, and André Breton, Surrealism’s founder, as they vie for control of the movement.
Organized by The Dalí Museum and the Centre Pompidou, the exhibition includes approximately 65 works in a variety of media drawn largely from the collection of the Musée national d’art moderne in Paris. The exhibition is curated by Dr. William Jeffett, chief curator of special exhibitions at The Dalí Museum, and Didier Ottinger, deputy director of the Musée national d’art moderne at the Centre Pompidou with the collaboration of Marie Sarré.
Midnight in Paris: Surrealism at the Crossroads, 1929, will be on view Nov. 23, 2019, through April 9, 2020, at The Dalí Museum, the exhibition’s exclusive North American venue.
Midnight in Paris is sponsored by Mrs. Jean-François Rossignol,
Mrs. Timothy R. Ranney and the St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport (PIE).
Related programs and events
The Dalí has organized a diverse array of programming to accompany the special exhibition Midnight in Paris. Events are free unless otherwise noted.
Talk—Midnight in Paris: A Discussion with Curators
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2 p.m.
The Dalí welcomes Didier Ottinger, Deputy Director of the National Museum of Modern Art Centre Pompidou alongside Dr. William Jeffett, Chief Curator of Special Exhibits at The Dalí to delve into this pivotal period for the Surrealist movement in Paris.
Film—Midnight in Paris Under the Stars
Thursday, Jan. 23, 5 p.m. doors open, film begins at sunset
You’re invited to bring a blanket and sit under the stars in the Museum’s Avant-garden to enjoy a special screening of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011, 94 min., PG-13). Cash bar.
Hilarious, Mysterious and Provocative: Surrealist Literary Game Night
Thursday, Jan. 30, 6 p.m.
Join The Dalí Museum and event partner Keep St. Pete Lit for an evening of collaborative games using art, poetry and literature to explore the unconscious as a source of inspiration. It’s sure to be hilarious, mysterious and provocative. Tickets: $5 members, $10 non-members. Cash bar.
Surrealist Film Night at The Dalí
Thursday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m.
Join Curator of Education Peter Tush for a double feature of Surrealism’s first films. Germaine Dulac’s The Seashell and the Clergyman (1928, 44 min.) and Salvador Dalí’s and Luis Buñuel’s The Andalusian Dog (1929, 20 min.) will be shown back to back after a brief introduction. Q&A will follow the presentation.
Les Années Folles: 1920s Cabaret
Saturday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.
Immerse yourself in the Parisian nightlife of 1929, with costumes, cocktails, cabaret and more. Tickets: $65 members, $75 non-members.
Coffee with a Curator: focused presentation on a variety of Dalí-related topics
First Wednesdays of the month, 10:30 am.
Dec 4: Dr. William Jeffett, The Dalí’s curator of Midnight in Paris, discusses the personal friendships, intellectual passions and erupting disagreements among the Surrealists and their circle in Paris.
Jan 8: Dalí Museum Curator of Education Peter Tush presents a talk entitled “Max Ernst: Vision and Transformation.”
Feb 5: Dalí Museum Librarian Shaina Harkness presents Revolution Between the Covers: The Surrealist Journals.
Mar 4: USF Associate Professor of History Adrian O’Connor and USF Professor Emeritus Gary Mormino discuss “1928-32: History at the Crossroads in Europe and Florida.”
ArtFlix series featuring art-related documentaries and feature films
First Thursdays of the month, 6 p.m.
Dec 5: Paris: The Luminous Years (2010, 116 min., not rated), a PBS documentary, explores how the French capital, during a period from 1905 through 1930, became a center for the development of modernism in art, music and literature.
Jan 2: Max Ernst (1991, 100 min., not rated), one of the most influential and visionary artists of the past century is celebrated in this documentary, which covers the highlights of Ernst’s fascinating career.
Feb 6: Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant Garde (1997, 60 min., TV-14) provides a succinct overview of the life of the talented painter, photographer, sculptor and filmmaker Man Ray, an American in Paris.
Mar 5: Alexander Calder, Sculptor of Air (2009, 51 min., not rated) retraces Calder’s life, career and influences and explores the masterpieces that have marked the history of 20th-century art.
Apr 2: Magritte: Day and Night (2009, 52 min., not rated), Charlie Dupont plays an actor hired to portray Magritte. He researches the artist’s life and career, hoping to uncover his personality and unlock the meaning to his paintings.
About The Dalí Museum
The Dalí Museum, located in the heart of picturesque downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, is home to an unparalleled collection of over 2,400 Salvador Dalí works, including nearly 300 oil paintings, watercolors and drawings, as well as more than 2,100 prints, photographs, posters, textiles, sculptures and objets d’art. The Museum’s nonprofit mission, to care for and share its collection locally and internationally, is grounded by a commitment to education and sustained by a culture of philanthropy.
The Dalí is recognized internationally by the Michelin Guide with a three-star rating; has been deemed “one of the top buildings to see in your lifetime” by AOL Travel News; and named one of the 10 most interesting museums in the world by Architectural Digest. The building itself is a work of art, with a geodesic glass bubble nicknamed The Enigma, which features 1,062 triangular glass panels, a fitting tribute to Salvador Dalí’s legacy of innovation and transformation. Explore The Dalí anytime with the free Dalí Museum App, available on Google Play and in the App Store. The Dalí Museum is located at One Dalí Boulevard, St. Petersburg, Florida 33701.
For more information visit TheDali.org.
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