Dali meets d’Arenberg: It’s a surreal winner
The d’Arenberg Cube in McLaren Vale just got even more surreal, with the addition of an enormous $3 million sculpture by one of the 20th century’s most famous artists.
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Here’s a mammoth work of art to trumpet. One of Salvador Dali’s most coveted sculptures, his $3m bronze Triumphant Elephant, has been unveiled at the d’Arenberg Cube in McLaren Vale.
Standing 6m tall and weighing in at three tonnes, Triumphant Elephant has never before been displayed in Australia.
D’Arenberg chief winemaker Chester Osborn has an abiding love of the Spanish surrealist and his d’Arenberg Cube itself a surrealist work of architecture and art – making Dali and d’Arenberg a perfect match.
“Dali was an eccentric and generally pretty zany. His work had a simplicity about it but was all about combinations of subject matter that you would never normally put together,” Osborn said.
“There’s a certain realism at the same to as being completely unreal. He lived in a world of fantasy where your brain isn’t held back by conformism and tradition.”
Osborn says Dali’s work is “a means by which we can explore beyond our normal range of feelings”.
“Original monumental Dali sculptures are rare and are traditionally exhibited in the great cities of the world, so to exhibit Triumphant Elephant for the first time in Australia here at the d’Arenberg Cube is very significant,” he said.
“It’s a beautiful and imposing sculpture and adds to all the fun and entertainment of the building and the surreal nature of the d’Arenberg Cube itself.”
Dali’s pachyderm piece builds on a collection already on display at the vineyard.
“The success of Dali at d’Arenberg has been exceptional,” curator Christopher Talbot, the CEO of Art Evolution, said.
“In the spirit of Dali, we are always looking for non-traditional locations to exhibit. The stunning 360-degree views from the gallery second floor across the vineyards only adds to this multi-sensory break from tradition. I really do think that Dali would approve.”
Also new to the exhibition will be museum-sized sculpture Snail and the Angel, standing 1.5m tall and valued at $700,000.
These additions will take the total number of Dali sculptures on display to 25 and the collective value of the exhibition to over $9 million.
“These are two masterpieces which have never been exhibited in Australia,” said Dali Universe International project manager James Sanders.
The arrival of the Triumphant Elephant will be the second sculpture dubbed “monumental” by Dali to join the exhibition following the Nobility of Time, which sits at the entrance to the d’Arenberg Cube.
This year commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Catalan genius’s death.
The success of Dali at the d’Arenberg Cube has seen the exhibition extended until 30 June 2020.