The Freudian Universe of Dalí

The exhibition explores the relationship between the work of Salvador Dalí and the writings of Sigmund Freud, one of the key elements of the artist’s visual aesthetic. From his early years, when he had access to Freud’s works at the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid, Dalí developed a growing fascination with the ideas of the Viennese physician, which had a decisive influence on his approach to Surrealism and on the creation of his paranoiac-critical method. Fuelled by the circumstances of his childhood and teenage years, this relationship became a genuine obsession that culminated with the pair meeting in London in 1938. Its influence continued to be felt during Dalí’s nuclear mysticism period. 

Divided into six chronological sections, the exhibition sheds new light on Dalí’s career through key chapters in his life and his constant dialogue with Freudian thought. As well as pieces by the Catalan master, the exhibition features paintings and drawings by other renowned artists and intellectuals, which provide context for his work. This allows visitors to discover the connections between art, science, dreams and imagination that shaped one of the most fascinating figures of the twentieth century.