Rivals, friends and legends are right here in St. Petersburg. The works of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali are being shown side by side at the Dali Museum.
The Picasso/Dali, Dali/Picasso exhibit is organized by the Dali Museum and the Museu Picasso in Barcelona, with loans from 22 institutions and private collections.
After the journey up the winding stairs, the exhibit begins on the left. Pieces from each artist are arranged beside one another and guests learn about the styles, similarities and differences along the way. Each piece of artwork tells a story, and they have a lot to do with each other. The complimentary audio guide and screens explaining the time period and styles further were useful in understanding exactly what you are looking at. No photography is allowed in this special exhibit.
In 1926, Dali visited Picasso in Paris, who invited him into his studio. Afterward, their art started to share similar elements. Both artists used oil on canvas as their medium, and both made waves in cubism and surrealism. With added artwork from other museums, Picasso and Dali’s private prints and drawings were also on display.
The most interesting part of the exhibit is learning how the two artists influenced each other and therefore, the world. Guests can experience their style as they learn about the history, and see the art and its makers change before their eyes. Listening to the curators through the headphones made for wonderful images. I could picture the artists making their pieces, and the two talking to each other with a little friendly competition.
Dali sent Picasso many postcards as the two aged. Picasso never responded, but he kept each one until the day he died, and we can see some of them in this exhibit.
The exhibit also includes a room with books published by the Dali Museum about the Picasso/Dali, Dali/Picasso works. The book details the works’ time period and styles, and it is available for purchase in the Dali Museum Store.
Picasso and Dali are legends, and seeing their works up close is completely different from seeing them in a textbook or on the Internet.
This exhibit is open until February 16, 2015, and USF St. Petersburg students get free admission with their student I.D.
