In Aurora, a first look at the frenzied art and life of Salvador Dalí

AURORA | Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí has been called many things: an obscure genius, a clown, a narcissist, eccentric, a fascist. He’s been worshiped for pushing boundaries and rebuked for his outlandish lifestyle.

Now, spectators can decide for themselves which analysis best fits the Spanish painter with the global premier of “Dalí Alive,” a 13,000 square foot immersive display at Stanley Marketplace in north Aurora. 

Similar to other immersive exhibits that have come before it, giant dancing versions of some of Dalí’s most well-known works tower over guests. “The Persistence of Memory,” which was apparently inspired by a piece of Camembert cheese melting in the heat, and “Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee,” painted of his muse Gala well after the artist’s prime, are both among the images that float around the space.

“In my opinion, if Salvador Dalí were alive today, he would be creating art in this exciting new-age digital medium,” said Bruce Peterson, executive chairman and founder of Grande Experiences, which is presenting the exhibit with help from The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Indeed, Dalí dabbled in different art forms. He produced sculptures, sketches, paintings, photography, furniture, and film, when in 1945 he moved to Hollywood to work with Alfred Hitchcock on “Spellbound,” a thriller featuring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. 

Dalí was also known for his bombastic personality, which was largely influenced by his childhood — he was named after his late brother, who died just nine months before Dalí was born — and the death of his mother, who died of cancer when Dalí was 16-years-old. 

“I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon,” the artist wrote in his 1942 autobiography, “The Secret Life of Salvador Dalí.” “And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.”

As a young artist, Dalí joined the Surrealists, a group of European creatives who after World War I began a movement largely influenced by Sigmund Freud’s writings on psychoanalysis and the idea that the mind repressed true imagination. The group, closely tied to the French Communist Party, tried to expel Dalí in 1939 when he said he envisioned Adolph Hitler “as a woman” whose flesh “ravished me.” Later, he also named nationalist dictator General Francisco Franco as “the greatest hero of Spain.”

Dalí’s career was marked not just by his work, but also his antics, like when he gave a lecture in a deep sea diving suit and helmet. “The better to descend into the depths of the subconscious,” he said of his outfit, which nearly killed him. Without Dalí-the-person, there was no Dalí-the-art. 

Dalí died in 1989 at the age of 84, seven years after his wife Gala, who Dalí often called his muse. She also appeared in many of his works of art.

“I would polish Gala to make her shine, make her the happiest possible, caring for her more than myself, because without her, it would all end,” he once said of her. 

Two years before Gala’s death, amid one of her many affairs with young male artists, Dalí reportedly beat Gala, breaking two of her ribs. 

Dalí’s storied life is presented along with his art at “Dalí Alive.” A second room off the main exhibit showcases the stories behind some of his most recognizable pieces, as well as some of the flamboyant stunts that defined his career. 

If you go: “Dalí Alive” runs from Oct. 21 through Jan. 29 at the Hangar in Stanley Marketplace, 2501 N. Dallas Street.  Tickets for adults start at $39.00 with discounts for children and seniors. For more information and to buy tickets, visit thelume.com.